


A game of shadows

by RedMind05



Category: Clace - Fandom, More - Fandom, Sizzy - Fandom, malec - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic, Multi, Shadows - Freeform, The immortals - Freeform, black magic, dark secrets, unrevealed spells
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-03-21 05:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 16
Words: 25,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3679872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedMind05/pseuds/RedMind05
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You’ve lost control!<br/>Who said I want it back?-He said as he turned around and walked away into the fog, into the night.The night he now owned. I watched as the fog engulfed him, until there was nothing left to see. Until he was gone, again.</p><p>Everything had changed, even his voice. It carried power, control. Every time he entered the room heads turned like never before, a smoky aura surrounded him 24/7. Every time he materialized out of the shadows those piercing blue eyes where either hard as ice or filled with heated mischief, they saw EVERYTHING; you and through you. His only possessions being a poker face, rave black hair, porcelain white skin, a broken heart, the ocean in his eyes and a journey in his pocket he left me again, his silhouette dissolving in the wind and my hope with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sexy is an art, and art I learn

A game of shadows

Jace POV:

Jace?- I heard Clary’s voice echo through the hall. In here!- I shouted back and laid down the dagger. I started spending a lot of time training alone since Alec was nowhere to be found these days and I was worrying myself crazy so I needed something to do. 

Ever since the break up my parabatai wasn’t the same. First he spent most of his time moping in his room, then he started to lose all his self confidence. Whenever he came out of his room, to me it was still a mystery why he came out since it wasn’t for food cuz he never ate anything whenever Izzy, Clary, Simon or me where around. But lately he started disappearing. The first few days Izzy worried like crazy about him and when I told her I thought it would be good for him to finally get out of his room and do something the only thing I got out of that was huge amount of insults and statements insulting my personality, my pride, my masculinity and for some reason my hair. Seriously, my hair is amazing, and she was way out of line.

However, now I pretty much doubt what I told her, because Alec started taking off more and more often, up until now, where he only comes around once or twice a week to… well, I don’t exactly know what the point of sneaking out and then coming back just to be locked in his room tied to a chair and being told, I quote, “running off like that was selfish and after Max I expected you to know better. My own son breaking apart because some stupid downworlder fling that didn’t work out…Seriously Alexander, what the fuck is wrong with you? Is this what all... "gays" do? Is this a trend or something? If this happened again, I swear by the angel you're going back to Idris and never coming back. Hear me?!- Maryse has a strange way to deal with things sometimes. Izzy looked horrified but kept he mouth shut, I started saying something but Alec cut me off saying it was all right and it would never happen again.

We must all have looked pretty stunned because he hurried to explain and, again I quote, “I wasn’t thinking straight, so I apologies for wasting your time by worrying about me and I promise; you won’t have to get up in the middle of the night again to yell at me and tell me I’m a coward because first of, I’m in this room and last time I checked, not deaf, secondly I already know everything you told me since it was me doing it, and third of, I won’t wander off again and come back at these ungodly hours to have my feelings criticized by someone who thinks my sexuality is just a phase which I’ll eventually get over. Although I guarantee you, this last bit will never happen, since it’s who I was, am and will always be. So if you don’t mind I’d like to be untied and left alone to consider my suicide in peace without your ridiculous tired pity looks and if I may add, horrific smell. Seriously dude, when was the last time you took a shower? (this was directed to me, but in my defense; sweat is manly)”.

This left Isabelle with a proud look in her eyes, Maryse with a hand on her hip, her shoulders drawn back and her mouth in a straight line. I suppose she wanted to look unfaced, but her eyes gave her away showing how these words had hit exactly where the were meant to, her weak spot, her son being gay and her disability to accept it. But, he got what he wanted, Maryse let him go and he went to bed or that’s what we thought happened.

I personally admired him, I don’t mean I do not usually admire him because I do, even if I would never admit it to him, but this was one of the reasons I chose him to be my parabatai; he was usually quiet and tried to blend in as much as possible, not bothering to stand up to insults and blushing every time he got unsure, which was about 99.9% of the time. He was basically a walking/talking/demon killing tomato.

But when it came down to critical situations, the 0.1 % of the time, like this one for instance, since no one knew exactly what to say. (It’s not like you could say something like: hey Alec! nice seeing you after 4 days of being worried sick for you, wanna grab some takkis?) He always said the right thing, hit exactly where he meant to hit and always got what he wanted without spilling a single lie.

If I had known then he would go out through the window, climb the facade and disappear I would have stayed up to guard him but that was obviously not in his plans because after what he said I wanted to give him what he wanted and left him alone. Like I said, his comments may have been directed to Maryse at first sight, but they hit a soft spot inside me, making me give him what he wanted. He hit where he aimed and got what he wanted. Izzy also left after a while and then the next morning he was gone. For good.

…vampire said and we gotta go talk to her.- Clary finished. I had completely zoned out and only heard the last art of what she said. She must have seen the confusion written all over my face because she looked annoyed and about to slap me.

Sorry, I wasn’t really listening, what were you saying?- I stutter and tried to focus on her, but just couldn’t. Ever since Magnus left Alec I feared she would do the same to me and I wasn’t sure if I was as strong as him to last so long or not actually just kill myself.

I said -she started again in an annoyed tone- that yesterday Simon went to the Dumort to pick up some stuff he left there and there was this vampire girl who recognized him and started apologizing since it turned out she was one of the vampires who abducted him while he was in a… rat state, so to speak. They started talking and she ended up walking him home and it turned out she knew a lot about manga and then they went to grab some coffee.-was it just me or was her stare getting colder by the second?- Anyways, the conversation somehow ended up on Alec. First she had no idea who he was but then Simon described him and it turned out her brother was a good friend of Alec’s. (or as far as "friends" go these days). He had been over at their downtown place a couple times and he even went to her best friend’s birthday party with her since she had no date and didn’t want to show up all alone. Although she told him he could leave after and hour or so he stayed, talked to almost everyone, got drunk and had the time of his life.

WHAAAT?! You mean, Alec went to a party without protesting just so that some vampire chic wouldn’t have to look bad in front of her friends?! And he enjoyed it? he got DRUNK?! He TALKED to people?! WAHT THE HELL IS GOING ON? AND WHY- SHUT UP!- Clary shouted at me clapping hand over my mouth, not too gently I must add.

Just let me finish will you? Now, I’m going to take my hand away and you are not going to open your mouth until I finish, ok?- I nodded and told myself I would hold it in until she finished and the seek out this mysterious friend of Alec’s.

Well, he was having the time of his life, dancing like Michael Jackson and here it comes, when Simon asked if there where any pictures she showed him one, and guess what, he was wearing tight black jeans, a dark blue button down, matching vans, a letter jacket and his hair was all styled in this crazy way that Simon says was totally awesome and though he is 120% straight he could have fallen for him right there. -Clary finished and looked at me expectantly. 

I had a million question in my head but only one managed to make its way through my head and to my mouth.-What is wrong with him?- It might not be the most insensible thing I’ve ever said but it was the only thing I needed to know right now. Okay, this wasn't just about what was wrong with Alec, what the hell was going on with Simon, too.

I don’t know, I already talked to Simon about meeting these vampires and he called Lea. We are meeting at Starbucks in about 20 minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

Izzy POV

The moment we entered the Starbucks and sat down I knew nothing good could possibly come from this. Why would Alec turn to some strangers instead of to her? It didn’t make sense.

The door opened and a 6.5 feet tall girl walked in. Her blond hair in a high ponytail that reached the small of her back. Despite being skinny as hell she had huge boos and a round ass. The type of body the superheroes in Simon’s comics would have. Big slightly almond shaped dark brown eyes, a small nose and red full lips in a perfectly shaped face with high check bones and a thin neck.   
She was wearing tattered light blue denim jeans, a pastel pink pull and bear sweater under a tight black leather jacket and a pair of worn white converse. She knew the moment she walked in Clary would hate her, Jace would feel uneasy about anything she said, Simon would feel proud of his discovery and she would like her until she opened her mouth.

Her predictions proved correct.

-Hey there I’m Lea!-She said slipping in the both next to Simon and across from me and Jace. Clary sat on the other side of Jace.  
-So… you know Alec?- Clary started.  
-Yeah, he’s friends with my brother and sometimes comes over to our apartment downtown. I heard him talking to Jorge the first time they came home, something about how spicy coffee should be forbidden by law. He's really funny.  
-Spicy coffee?- Jace asked obviously interested. I elbowed him and asked if she knew why, how, and where from Alec knew this “Jorge”.  
-LOL, they know each other because they obviously met somewhere and started talking, but that's totally not interesting, his abs though…- Lea started with a knowing smile on her face but Clary cuts her off just as I was about to throw my blueberry muffin at her.  
-You listen now little bitch.-This was kind of ironic since she was about a foot taller than her but I agreed with what Clary had to say.-I don’t know if it’s clear to you how important or serious this is. Alexander is their brother, his parabatai and our friend. He had possibly the worst break up of his life, broke down, thought about killing himself and then disappeared. We are worried sick about him, his parents have no idea of wats happening the only thing they know is that they can’t lose another son. So if you don’t take this seriously we’ll just tell them about you and you can deal with the clave instead of us. Understand me pansycake?- Clary had started leaning over the table as she spit the words into the “panycakes’s” face who paled by the second.  
-Wow, sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I don’t care about this or anything, it’s just that you come here, ask me questions out of the blue about someone who isn’t even directly my friend and I have no idea who you are or what you want to know. I men, who are you people?  
-We are his family.- Jace cuts in, his expression ice cold.   
-Ok, so i’ll just tell you everything that comes in my mind now, and you can ask questions after and I’ll tell you if I know. But please don’t yell at me, I’m in this room and last time I checked I am not deaf.-She started again and something she said made me uneasy, that last part, it sounded familiar but from where…

-So about a week ago Jorge went to buy some magazines at the corner kiosk and when he came home he told me about this guy who was reading the newspaper right there without actually buying it, ignoring the shouts of the seller who was trying to get out, but the door seemed blocked or something. He said he was marveling at how this guy could ignore those screams and read just like while simultaneously looking absolutely gorgeous. Then the dude looked up and handed him exactly the magazine he came to get. Jorge had no idea how he knew that so he asked and the other guy said he didn’t, he just thought it was the kind of thing someone like Jorge would read. They started talking and somehow ended up agreeing to meet again at Gideon’s party on Tuesday.  
They went to the party and came home so drunk that it took them about 5 minutes to recognize a chair was a chair, which was something on what you could sit down. Alec wouldn’t stop laughing and Jorge stared into his eyes, mesmerized…Then he just puked on your brother and the laughing started over, again- Lea stopped and looked into space thinking about something or trying to remember something. In had no idea what to do with this information. I felt confused, Alec drunk? Talking to strangers? Stealing newspapers? Parties? No way this was him. But I didn’t get a chance to finish the thought because Lea seemed to have remembered whatever she had forgotten and started talking again. Her voice soft but confident.

Jorge was humming something as he looks into his eyes. You see, he likes composing music, like while songs, with the lyrics, the music sheets and all the instrumental with choreography's included. The only thing is, he is a really bad performer, he blushes all over and freezes infront of people like Simon told me Alec does. Although I don’t really know him as good as you, he didn’t strike me as the shy blushing type of guy. Rather like the open, proud and funny guy. He an Jorge went to watch TV after about 6 attempts of trying to get up, Alec kept erupting in laughter overtime his feet touched the floor and Jorge is the type of person who laughs very easily when he feels secure so they kept laughing and saying crazy things. They didn’t even watch TV, they stared at the black screen and somewhere between laughing and breathing Alec leaned into Jorge and fell asleep with his head on my brothers lap murmuring about baguettes and pain. Odd combination, don't you think? I was just walking into my room when he said it and well… I don’t know if I should tell you, it seems kind of personal…- Lea looked troubled and for the first time since she entered the room, unsure.  
-Go on, we are his family, we won’t judge him for anything and we have the right to know.- I knew Jace could be gentle, but I'd always thought that was limited to Clary, but apparently it also worked with strangers who didn’t want to reveal “Alec’s privacy”.

-It’s just that, one moment he is all drunk and floating on cloud 9 laughing his ass off at a fridge and the next he is lying with his head in my brothers lap telling him about hurting inside, saying he sometimes fells like killing himself and then remembers his family and decides the agony is worth their happiness. I didn’t hear a lot more, it seemed to intruding on their moment so I went into my room but…- She stops again her gaze lost.  
-Go on! But what?-I urge her to go on, I feel if she doesn’t tell me I may fall apart or explode out of frustration.  
-This sounds weird, but his eyes…- Her gaze is still lost, but al least she is talking and the exploding feeling goes away just a little, enough to allow me concentrate on what she is telling us -his eyes were darker, before they were like the ocean, wild and unstoppable but right then they seemed dark and filled with such deep sadness I just closed the door and decided to forget about it.   
-Now that I think about it, it kind of hurt to look at them, you know what I mean? This feeling you get when you look at someone who has been through too much but is still holding on for someone else's sake. So they don’t have to go through more pain, the look of someone who decides to bear their burden on their shoulders for the rest of their lives just so that someone else won’t have to carry it for them instead and they know it’s going to hurt forever, but for the other persons sake they hurt and keep on hurting, not showing it. But there are these small moments when they let their guard down and you see the weight they are carrying around, their pain, their loss and their heart, scattered in pieces at the bottom of a chasm… I hate that look and it’s not the first time I’ve seen it. - She pauses and her gaze comes back,-Sorry, that was kind of sentimental, but I guess if you wanted to know now you know.

The silence was heavy. I felt tears at the back of my eyes and the knot in my throat had grown so much I feared it would look like I swallowed the paper cup instead of the coffee in it.

At first Simon had seemed kind of clumsy always following me around the room with his gaze, but I guess I liked the attention even if it was only to make his red headed friend jealous. I have trouble understanding how others don’t see such things, they are kind of obvious! But then time passed and just before turning him into a rat I felt a spark of sympathy for him and the next moment, poof! he goes from cute nerdy to brown hairy roedor. But it were moments like now, when nobody knew what to say and nobody wanted to start the embarrassing and uncomfortable; well, that was… and then not knowing what to say. Simon may seem a little geeky sometimes and he didn’t have the brave warrior appearance but he showed how brave he was at moments like this one, where no one wanted or knew how to save the conversation so he did it, and there he was, as cute and sexy as ever.

Ok, that was… sincere… I suppose… Anybody wants more coffee? -I could barely resist his apologetic smile, apologizing for nothing just because he felt he hadn’t done well enough when it had been the best anyone could have managed. It reminded me of Alec before he met Magnus.

I thought he was awesome, self confident as well as selfless and flamboyant with a too good fashion taste, perfect for my brother, I thought at the time. Now I’m not so sure I made the right choice by letting them get together. They loved each other or at least Alec had loved Magnus. Some may say it’s his first time , he is too young, teenagers don’t know what love is or he will get over it, there are other fish in the sea. But Alec had waited 18 and a half years for the right one to come along. But Jace, but Jace... that had always been an excuse, and I had known it all along but it kept my brother safe and happy so I went along with it. Until Clary came along and put Alec’s little world upside down, then Magnus turned it even further and the break up had been the final kick for it to fall apart. Like he said, it’s not something big you can protect me from Izzy, it’s like lots of little paper cuts every day.

Alec had always had a strange but unique way of expressing his feeling. He was no good with instruments or paintbrushes but he had a gift for words. When they were little and the school organized these story writing competitions Alec would always win and after a while the Spanish teacher decided he had potential and signed him up for some international coca cola writing competition. He was so unsure because all the other kids were 17 and he was this little skinny pale boy with huge bottle blue eyes who was only 13. Guess what? His story did not only win but it got sponsored and published, you can actually buy it at a bookstore! He started taking part in other competitions, winning one after the other. The prizes were things like bikes, trips to London, money or theater entrances. The last competition he took part in was about a year ago and he never told us what happened. The only thing we knew was that he would never write a story again and no matter how hard or much I pleaded he would not tell, not even blush! Can you believe it?!

I guess dad had something to do with it. He never liked the idea of Alexander becoming a writer in the mundane world instead of a super strong hero willing to give his life for the greater good of nephlims. I was so proud of him and read every single story, and they were so cool I even got to laugh out loud or cry. Once someone walked up to me un the library while I was there with Simon and asked me for an autograph. I was stunned and forgot to ask why, but then he gave me the book he wanted to sign and I recognized it; Sea of black. Alec wrote it about 3 years ago and he never gave his real name, just lightwood so this boy here must think I wrote it. I felt sick to my stomach just by thinking of taking Alec’s credit so I called him and told him to get his ass down here. He showed up 10 minutes later and I will never forget the look of pride and happiness on his eyes when he signed his book and the boy started asking questions about it. They talked for hours and eventually Magnus walked in, I supposed Alec had been over at his house at the time I called him and felt a little bad for ruining their time, but just a little. This had been worth it. Magnus saw Alec siting there and when the fan, I decided it was fair to call him that, started telling Magnus what an awesome writer Alec was… Magnus’s eyes had been full of pride so when the boy was gone he conjured up every single book his boyfriend had ever written and made Alec sign them, so he could show them off to his friends. I looked at them sitting there, giggling, kissing, Alec signing book after book with Magnus’s arms around him. He had never looked more comfortable and Magnus, I hadn’t known him for long but the way he looked at my brother, like really looked, looked at him, I saw the chemistry and suddenly all the waiting seemed worth it.

I had been wrong, so wrong. Immortals like Magnus were too worn and had seen too much for a mortal to understand. Mortals too young and too bright for the immortals to keep up. I should have known how bad Alec would take it when their relationship ended. How he would feel, as if coming out of the closet had been for nothing.

By the time Simon brought the coffee Jace and Lea (Who was really called Elena, but hated her Spanish name) had started talking again and I had absolutely no idea about what. Her brother maybe? Or was it her cousin?  
…Jorge?  
-About eight feet tall, not athletic but not skinny either, amber colored eyes and light brown curly hair.-Lea said  
-Yeah, yeah, but on the inside I mean.  
-Pink?- Jace rolled his eyes but a grin had already made it’s way across his face. -Well, dunno. He liked stories, loves CSI, has a crush on Tayler Hoechlin, he is kind to most people, but has a huge temper; whenever he gets angry furniture is not always the only thing that breaks. he is in love with music, he will fall for anyone with a pretty voice and he has this thing for ginny pigs and funny socks.  
-Funny socks?- Clary seems suddenly interested. Maybe she likes “funny socks” too, although I don’t exactly know how a sock is supposed to make you laugh. Or did she understand cocks?  
-Nobody cares for socks! What do you mean furniture isn’t the only thin that breaks?-Simon cuts in who sat down somewhere between the pink inside of Jorge and the ginny pigs  
-You see, it hasn’t always been easy for him and after Christina it became even worse. And then one afternoon he came home, sober with a smile on his lips and started telling me about having met the most gorgeous boy on this planet and how thankful he is for that…  
-He’s got a crush on Alec?-I blurt out.  
Lea stared at me and I felt a blush creep up my neck so I hurried to apologize and was cut off.  
-No, no, it’s ok. Not a crush. No, I don't think so, my brother has this thing with world. You won't ever hear him say something like nice, okay, well, good... But as I was saying, he was all happy go lucky all of a sudden. The next morning Alec came over for breakfast and ever since he and Jorge are really good friends. Sometimes they look like brothers. One time they went shopping, you see, Jorge loves shopping, he just hates doing it alone and Alec said he had become quite good at it over time, so they went shopping for like 6 hours! Can you believe it?! When they came back they had even bought me a bunch of clothes and for some reason a frying pan and a door knob.-I waited if she would say more but she seemed finished so I thought it was safe to talk.  
-You mean they went shopping? For… clothes? Alec was willing to, I mean, he wasn’t forced?  
-No way! Why would someone force you to go shopping? I mean, sure it is fun but if he hadn’t wanted to he wouldn’t have gone. And forcing him would have been imposible, he’s got like the biggest muscles I’ve ever seen and I work pat time at a gym! Well I really have to go now, and get ready.  
-Wait! Do you know where Alec is going tonight?-Clary had barely talked, but I guess she hadn’t had much of a chance either.  
-Ah…It’s this place called the “The Pacific bottle ship”. He usually goes there with his friends. This group of vampires, warlocks, shadowhunter, mundanes or dwarfs. Who knows what they are, it’s kind of a mixture. A freaking hot mixture I must tell you. there is this guy, tall tanned, white fangs, emerald green cat eyes and tattoos all over his body. They say he'll tell you the world is flat and you'll believe him. The mesmerizer they call him. Quite some people your Xander hangs out with. And the pacific Bottle Ship, never been there, but from what I hear, Man!  
Um…Do you need and invitation or something?-Simon asks clearly not interested in someones tattoos or stories about how flat our round planet was.  
Not really, the only thing you need is to be hot and looking at you guys, I don’t believe you’ll have any problems with that. Well bye!- And just like that she was gone. 

-What the hell is a mesmerizer?  
-It's a half warlock half fairy shapeshifter thing. They'll make you think you need a cow to survive in the Antarctic and you'll be so convinced you'll storm out and buy a freaking cow, even if you have no idea what the Antarctic is.  
-How do you know this?  
-Read it about a week ago in the book Magnus left at the institute the first time he healed Alec. Why?  
-back in Idris we had to study every single magic creature, mesmerizer wasn't part of the lecture. i wonder why?  
-It's new thing. They call themselves The Immortals, it was some kind of experiment gone wrong. I mean, it worked, but the creatures they made where far too powerful and intelligent. See, if a vampires intelligence would be measured from 1 to 10 the vamp mixtures they did where like 60. Totally out of line, too good, too dangerous. So they shut the experiment down.  
-And the creatures?  
-Killed. They where a thread to shadow hunters and down worlders so they were destroyed.  
-And if they were killed, why is it that MY brother hangs out with one of them?Is he a zombie or what?  
-I don't know. Magnus caught me reading this book of his and burned it right infant of my eyes.  
-Classy...

We decided Jace should go check out this pacific bottle thing and the “freaking hot mixture” while the rest would try to find Jorge.


	3. The pacific Bottle Ship

I’m trying so hard not to let it show, but you got me feeling like, I’m stepping on buildings causing bombs, I swear I can touch the sky, I’m ten feet tall…- A rich and melodic voice sang as Jace stepped in the room.   
Loud electric music filled the air and the sound of drums made him feel his pulse in his head.

As he made his way through the crowd he recognized some faces from other parties but most of the people surrounding him looked unfamiliar, like an unpeeled mango. Though not in the literal way, as if they where ovals and orange, or at least that’s what he believed unpeeled mangos looked like.   
Most of the girls were tall, skinny and looked like they were between 17 and 23, or something like that. He had never been good at judging ages which is why he got fired while he was working as a barkeeper and “accidentally” sold about 7 beers to a 19 year old girl who then turned out to be about 12. Anyway, he didn’t really care since most supernatural creatures (as the textbooks in Idris call them) can look any age depending on what they are, if they are under a spell or a glamour and about a million other possible reasons why they could look 17 and be 286 instead.

The dudes were mostly dressed in tight jeans, some shirtless others not and even though Jace wasn’t gay, he ha to admit, they all looked god damn sexy. He remembered Alec and it caused a pang of hurt in his chest. It had been about 9 days since he left to go the angel knows where and Lea said he would be here. She had said this as if it wasn’t a big deal but Jace got the creeps whenever she talked like that. Whatever, according to her his “friends” where a mixture of warlocks, vampires, mundanes, fries and some mundanes. Maybe even wolf or a dwarf. But she did bother to tell us how “freaking hot” the all were.   
Jace didn’t believe her at the time but nevertheless came here just in case and now he believed her. Every single person in here looked like Lea described it “freaking hot” wich must have been the reason why he was sweating like crazy, Jace thought and wondered if good looking hot people had higher body temperature than ugly people.

Finally he reached the front of the crowd and made his way up some marble polished stairs covered in a neon green rug. The walls where mostly black where they weren’t lined with huge windows from floor to celling, which was high and looked like a churches celling, but covered in golden glitter. 

Now some song talking about animals was playing as Jace walked around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. He recognized the voice, sometimes high pitched but still rich and then deeper but not too deep. No way he thought.

…Yeah you can start over, you can run free, you can find another fish in the sea, you can pretend it’s meant to be but you can’t stay away from me. I can still hear you, making that sound…

It’s Alec’s voice.

 

He couldn’t move or think just stare. There was his parabatai, shy, always blushing Alexander dressed in dark blue and silver skin tight jeans, his hair rave black looked wild and the makeup on his face just emphasized the look, black vans with matching silver laces and a black button down with the first 4 buttons unbuttoned revealing a glimpse of a very, nearly too muscular pale chest covered in runes Jace could make out because this “shy blushing boy” was now singing and dancing all over the place. 

His movements smooth and graceful but full of energy, and when the spotlight brushed his face his eyes were revealed. Two dark blue orbs with a sea of excitement and passion in them. It was the wild look in his eyes and the lyrics coming out of his mouth that left Jace breathless. He had seen bunch of people perform at some concert Clary had taken him to, but they all looked either too crazy and passionate to the point they just looked artificial or too bored and professional. This short woman named Shakima or Gashika or something like that danced like she was insane while the 5 guys next the… Jace had no idea how they were called, something abut direction maybe? He thought they couldn’t dance at all and just looked ridiculous, but then again, it was fun watching them. However, Alec wasn’t like them, he made it look easy, like buying a coffee at Starbucks or walking a dog and wildly passionate like it feels to kiss Clary or the way Magnus dressed up sometimes, at the same time. It was amazing. Alec’s voice rose and sank at all the right moments, his mouth not too wide open and a grin tucking at the right side of it.

Don’t tell no lie lalala, you can’t deny nananana the beast in side sasasaide, ye ye yeah…  
He snapped out of it when Alec jumped off the stage and half danced half walked his way through the crowd of swinging bodies towards a group of 3 girls and 2 boys dancing and talking at the same time. When he reached them, (it didn’t take long since the crowd split for him the way it used to parten like the red sea for Jace), the girl with the golden blond long hair hugged him and whispered something in his ear that earned a huge laugh out of him while the others continued talking and making wide gestures with their hands sometimes pointing at Alec, each other or someone else in the crowd. Jace’s parabatai talked with them, laughed and swung to the rhythm of music. 

Now that Jace thought about it; he saw Alec fitting in perfectly in this place. Everyone was themselves. No one was hiding in the back of the room, there were no dirty looks and it seemed like they all knew and liked each other. Laughter and music filled the air, everyone was enjoying themselves and there wasn’t anyone too drunk to throw up, but drunk enough not to care for the heat and noise.

It must remind him of Magnus, all the colorful and glittery clothes, tanned skin and bright eyes, Jace thought as he made his way towards Alec’s group. Magnus, who’s apartment he had liked so much, Magnus who made Alec so much better, Magnus who brought out the brightest side of his parabatai. Magnus who broke his heart, tore it to peaces and walked all over them. Magnus who broke Alec beyond repairing. Bitterness rose inside of him, pushing at the inside of his chest. This asshat of a warlock had hurt Alec, his parabatai despite all he walls he built up Magnus sLipped through them, broke them all down and made Alec raise them thicker than ever before.

As he got closer he could make out a vampire girl and boy who seemed to be twins because they had the same dark brown curly hair and blazing green eyes. Though his hair wasn’t as long as hers it still was quite long reaching the lower part of his neck. The curls were the kind of curls you see on advertisements for panten; rich, big and shiny dark brown that reflect the light no matter were you stand.   
They had the same crooked grin and both of them were really tall, skinny; but with the curves in all the right places and muscular. You could see the dudes muscles and her strong structure from 35 feet away. The other girls were shadow hunters or mundanes Jace supposed, since they had black ink covering the larger part of their arms and necks. The taller one had dark blue start thin hair that fell around her shoulders like a curtain shining with silvery glitter.   
She wore a black short letter dress with a complicated web of dark blue shapes on it that where only visible when the right light hit her. Her boots where the kind of boots Izzy Would have likes Jace thought, everything about this place would have appealed to her. maybe she and Alec didn’t have such different personalities after all. The other girl had raven black hair put in a high knot at the back of her head while some loose strands curled around her neck. She was dressed in hot pink shorts, a tight denim jacket that only reached the top part of her torso and a black, Jace guesses, strapless shirt. her high heels were about 9 inches tall and glittery black matching the other dudes hat. He looked like a warlock but he could also be a mundane. Jace had no idea, it was difficult to find out when the only thing you know is that this individual owns a black glittery hat and has almond shaped black eyes in a thin face with high check bones and a light blush.

He was just 7 feet away when a pair of pirced blue eyes landed on him, sizing him and then as Jace took in the body belonging to these eyes; a huge tanned african guy with the kind of long black hair that looks rather blue than black. Runes covered his arms but Jace didn’t remember having seen him in Idris or around the city. The african dude started making his way to Jace too quickly for his liking so he hurried to catch up with Alec who was now walking with another guy towards the stairs.

Jace nearly reached them when the tall burnet from earlier appears next to his parabatai, says something Jace can’t make out to him and next thing he sees is a black swirl of ash and his best friend is gone along with the dude he was walking with earlier. The girl glances at Jace and shakes her head in disapproval as if his presence was inappropriate but las time he checked he was the hottest shadow hunter alive. Jace feels anger swirl up inside of him and he has no idea where it comes from. Is it the fact that he was so close to getting to talk to Alec or the fact that Alec had changed so much and become so much better without him? And besides, was this getting better or worse? Was it a good sign to see someone you have known for your whole life as someone you could barely recognize? He didn’t know, but he needed to get back to the institute and tell the others to stop looking. They had to make a new plan. The course of things had changed in such a drastic way it would make no sense tapping in the dark like a blind man, which was what they were now. Blind.


	4. Chapter 4

I’m trying so hard not to let it show, but you got me feeling like, I’m stepping on buildings, cars and boats, I swear I can touch the sky, I’m ten feet tall…- A rich and melodic voice sang as Jace stepped in the room.   
Loud electric music filled the air and the sound of drums made him feel his pulse in his head.

As he made his way through the crowd he recognized some faces from other parties but most of the people surrounding him looked unfamiliar, like an unpeeled mango. Though not in the literal way, as if they where ovals and orange, or at least that’s what he believed unpeeled mangos looked like.   
Most of the girls were tall, skinny and looked like they were between 17 and 23, or something like that. He had never been good at judging ages which is why he got fired while he was working as a barkeeper and “accidentally” sold about 7 beers to a 19 year old girl who then turned out to be about 12. Anyway, he didn’t really care since most supernatural creatures (as the textbooks in Idris call them) can look any age depending on what they are, if they are under a spell or a glamour and about a million other possible reasons why they could look 17 and be 286 instead.

The dudes were mostly dressed in tight jeans, some shirtless others not, some naked, some wore jungle like underwear and tiger masks (Why would they dress like tigers I mean, animals are cute but if you are trying to get some lady to look at you and feel the need to fuck you right there, the tiger mask was not doing the job). Jace wasn’t gay, he had to admit, they all looked god damn sexy, even the tiger dude if you gave him a second look. He remembered Alec and it caused a pang of hurt in his chest. It had been about 9 days since he left to go the angel knows where and Lea said he would be here. She had said this as if it wasn’t a big deal but Jace got the creeps whenever she talked like that. Whatever, according to her his “friends” where a mixture of warlocks, vampires, mundanes, fairies and other stuff. Maybe even wolf or a dwarf. But she did bother to tell us how “freaking hot” the all were.   
Jace didn’t believe her at the time, but nevertheless came here just in case, and now he believed her. Every single person in here looked like Lea described it “freaking hot” wich must have been the reason why he was sweating like crazy, Jace thought and wondered if hot people had higher body temperature than ugly people.

Finally he reached the front of the crowd and made his way up some marble polished stairs covered in a neon green rug. The walls where mostly black where they weren’t lined with huge windows from floor to celling, which was high and looked like a churches celling, but covered in golden glitter. 

Now some song talking about animals was playing as Jace walked around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. He recognized the voice, sometimes high pitched but still rich and then deeper but not too deep, smoky somehow. No way...- he thought.

…Yeah you can start over, you can run free, you can find another fish in the sea, you can pretend it’s meant to be, but you can’t stay away from me. I can still hear you, making that sound…

It’s Alec’s voice.

 

He couldn’t move or think, just stare. There was his parabatai, shy, always blushing Alexander dressed in dark blue and silver skin tight jeans, his hair rave black looked wild and the makeup on his face just emphasized the look, black spiked boots and a black button down with the first 4 buttons unbuttoned revealing a glimpse of a very, nearly too muscular pale chest covered in runes Jace couldn't make out because this “shy blushing boy” was now singing and dancing all over the place. They didn't look right, they were too thin, to shiny. Somehow too elegant, too perfect to be hand made.

His movements smooth and graceful but full of energy, and when the spotlight brushed his face his eyes were revealed. Two dark blue orbs with a sea of excitement and passion in them. It was the wild look in his eyes and the lyrics coming out of his mouth that left Jace breathless. He had seen bunch of people perform at some concert Clary had taken him to, red day, yellow day, something like that, but they all looked either too crazy and passionate to the point they just looked artificial or too bored and professional. This short woman named Shakima or Gashika or something like that danced like she was insane while the 5 guys next the… Jace had no idea how they were called, something abut direction maybe? He thought they couldn’t dance at all and just looked ridiculous, but then again, it was fun watching them. However, Alec wasn’t like them, he made it look easy, like buying a coffee at Starbucks or walking a dog and wildly passionate like it feels to kiss Clary or the way Magnus dressed up sometimes, at the same time. It was amazing. Alec’s voice rose and sank, his mouth not too wide open and a MonaLisa grin tucking at the right side of it.

Don’t tell no lie lalala, you can’t deny nananana the beast in side sasasaide, ye ye yeah…  
He snapped out of it when Alec jumped off the stage and half danced half walked his way through the crowd of swinging bodies towards a group of 3 girls and 2 boys dancing and talking at the same time. When he reached them, (it didn’t take long since the crowd split for him the way it used to parten like the red sea for Jace), the girl with the golden blond long hair hugged him and whispered something in his ear that earned a huge laugh out of him while the others continued talking and making wide gestures with their hands sometimes pointing at Alec, each other or someone else in the crowd. Jace’s parabatai talked with them, laughed and swung to the rhythm of music. 

Now that Jace thought about it; he saw Alec fitting in perfectly in this place. Everyone was themselves. No one was hiding in the back of the room, there were no dirty looks and it seemed like they all knew and liked each other. Laughter and music filled the air, everyone was enjoying themselves and there wasn’t anyone too drunk to throw up, but drunk enough not to care for the heat and noise, or the ocasional roars from the tiger guy. seriously, that dude was crazy!

It must remind him of Magnus, all the colorful and glittery clothes, tanned skin and bright eyes, Jace thought as he made his way towards Alec’s group. Magnus, who’s apartment he had liked so much, Magnus who made Alec so much better, Magnus who brought out the brightest side of his parabatai. But then again it was Magnus who broke his heart, tore it to peaces and walked all over them. Magnus who broke Alec beyond repairing. Bitterness rose inside of him, pulsing inside his chest. This asshat of a warlock had hurt Alec, his parabatai, despite all he walls he built up Magnus slipped through them, broke them all down and then made Alec raise them thicker than ever before.

As he got closer he could make out a vampire girl and boy who seemed to be twins with the same dark brown curly hair and blazing green eyes as Simon, although these guys were all about the sexy. When he looked closer, he noticed they were actually boy and girl, though his hair wasn’t as long as hers it still was quite long reaching the lower part of his neck. The curls were the kind of curls you see on advertisements for panten; rich, big and shiny dark brown that reflect the light no matter were you stand. Clary would hate them.

They had the same crooked grin and both of them were really tall, skinny; but with the curves in all the right places and muscular. You could see the dudes muscles and her strong structure from 20 feet away. The other girls were shadow hunters or mundanes Jace supposed, since they had black ink covering the larger part of their arms and necks. The taller one had dark blue hair that fell around her shoulders like a curtain shining with silvery glitter.   
She wore a black short leather dress with a complicated web of dark blue shapes on it that where only visible when the right light hit her. Her boots where the kind of boots Izzy Would have liked Jace thought, everything about this place would have appealed to her. Maybe she and Alec didn’t have such different personalities after all. 

The other girl had raven black hair put in a high knot at the back of her head while some loose strands curled around her neck. She was dressed in hot pink shorts, a tight denim jacket that only reached the top part of her torso and a black, Jace guesses, strapless shirt. Her high heels were about 9 inches tall and glittery black matching the other dudes hat. He looked like a warlock but he could also be a mundane. Jace had no idea, it was difficult to find out when the only thing you know is that this individual owns a black glittery hat and has almond shaped black eyes in a thin face with high check bones and a light blush.

He was just 7 feet away when a pair of pierced blue eyes landed on him, sizing him and then as Jace took in the body belonging to these eyes; a huge tanned african guy with the kind of long black hair that looks rather blue than black was suddenly in the way. Runes covered his arms but Jace didn’t remember having seen him in Idris or around the city. The african dude started making his way to Jace too quickly for his liking, he hurried to catch up with Alec who was now walking with another guy towards the stairs.

Jace nearly reached them when the tall brunette from earlier appears next to his parabatai, says something Jace can’t make out to him and next thing he sees is a black swirl of ash and his best friend is gone along with the dude he was walking with earlier. The girl glances at Jace and shakes her head in disapproval as if his presence was inappropriate, although last time he checked he was the hottest shadow hunter alive. 

Jace feels anger swirl up inside of him and he has no idea where it comes from. Is it the fact that he was so close to getting to talk to Alec or the fact that Alec had changed so much and become so much better without him? And besides, was he getting better or worse? Was it a good sign to see someone you have known for your whole life as someone you could barely recognize? He didn’t know, but he needed to get back to the institute and tell the others to stop looking. They had to make a new plan. The course of things had changed in such a drastic way it would make no sense tapping in the dark like a blind man, which was what they were now. Blind.

The way his parabatai had disappeared, was magic. Literally magic, but he was a shadow hunter and so was the boy walking with him. Dark magic maybe? Had Alec learned something from Magnus the warlock and the rest of them were unaware of?


	5. The experiment?

Maryse POV

 

I can remember the last time I’ve felt like this and it was just before Izzy showed up, her face dissolved in tears and literally bearing the burden of her dead brother. My heart broke at the sight of her and then it was vaporized at the sight of Max. See, when you lose somebody it takes some time to realize everything you have lost and you realize this, not by seeing a body, but with the little things; when you are setting the table and need some help, his name is a tip of your tongue and then you remember... the truth comes crashing down on you. It happens every time and no matter how many times it happens, it will always be like the first time, it's torture. He is gone and pain is left behind.

I cannot lose Alec too. I’ll break apart and that will hurt Isabelle on top of Alec, Jace I'm not so sure, he never really liked me. But Izzy, He is also her brother and losing her mom won’t help one bit. Then there’s Jace, I haven’t seen him much lately. He is on a constant such for my elder son and as much as I appreciate it I can’t help but flinch every time I hear the frontier close. Isabelle spends her entire time with her mundane nerd, Sheldon is his name… I think, well… I guess,… I don’t really know how her boyfriend is called. I feel ashamed for not caring but right now I couldn’t care less, I just want Alec back! By the angel, is it so hard?

 

Why had he left? Why would he do this to me? To us? Didn’t he care? Or know how it feels to lose someone? He out of everybody in the family should know, if his break up was as devastating as my other children tried to explain to me. I still couldn’t see how a stupid warlock could cause my oldest son to break apart and run off. And it had to be Bane on top of all people! Sure he was the Great Warlock Of Brooklyn and I would never admit this out loud, but he is very impressive and so is his magic. Still, we have our past, which contains me trying to kill him several times, and never the less, here he is, in love with my son. I have always been wary of magic, glitter, downworlders and anyone dating my kids in general. Even of Clary and Sammy (or however he’s called). But Magnus was just… 

One moment I’m crying and looking at my younger son’s dead body and the next I’m looking up at my elder son kissing the most talented and smart mouthed warlock in Idris. It blew me off my feet at first just being Alec kissing someone and I realized I had never seen him kissing, cuddling, hugging or ever getting involved with someone. he looked so comfortable, it stroke me then, I had never seen him actually comfortable with anything. However, as I took in the scene, I released what this was. It wasn't the first time they had kissed… or the second or third. This must have gone on for a long wile without me and Robert noticing. Sure Bane had helped out a lot with the hole Valentine thing; treating all their injuries and providing whatever they needed but ,who payed it? I couldn’t remember writing a check out to him more than twice and he had helped about over 100 times. It downed on me that it hadn’t been for the “mission”, for the money or for fun. it had been for Alec. My sweet innocent Alec was gay and I had had no idea. How long? Why wouldn’t he tell me? Sure it was kind of weird and not the best reputation, ok, one of the worst reputations. But still, I was his mother and he could tell me. Or he could have told me if he had felt more secure, if I had been a better mom.

I should have noticed back then how I was never home, how they needed me and Robert as parents and not Hodge who turned out to be on the wrong side and then, well, Alec was the oldest and by far the most responsible. He had taken care of them while hodge conspired with Valentine, Robert was working his way into the idris government and I was in Europe. But now was my chance to make this better, to fix this and…- I never finished the thought because at that moment Jace, Isabelle and Gordon burst in followed by Calry the little ginger head with does huge green eyes capable of swallowing the world. They didn’t seem to see me, so I stayed quiet.

-…And glitter everywhere and it was SO hot, I’m telling you hot people have higher body temperature than there people!-Jace’s voice echoed through the room, full with conviction.  
-Are you crazy? There is no way that makes sense!-Sherlock’s voice  
-yeah it’s totally illogical, and why would Alec wear glitter? I though Magnus was the girly one!-Calry  
-Magnus? HA! You remember the day we walked in on them having sex Clary? Who was bottom?-Isabelle’s voice said and I could hear the grin as she remembered the moment.  
-Alec, but because he is shorter!-Clary again  
-Yeah! Don’t insult his manhood woman! Bottom is awesome I have no idea why you girls get it all the time!-Jace this time in a fake hurt tone  
-You wanna be bottom?-Clary asks mock tone full on  
-No way baby, I’m gonna ride you right to heaven!!!-Jace says proudly  
-HA! Not doubting that but seriously, you guys walked in on Magnus and Alec?  
-Yep, I haven’t seen a deeper blush in my whole life-Isabelle says between giggles  
-Yeah - Clary giggles-but, it did seem a VERY intense make out session. Like, it was SO hot in there, boiling with love-she added bursting out in laughter. Isabelle joined her.  
-See! That proves my theory!- Jace demands loudly over the laughter.  
-You mean you think the image of a naked Magnus making love to your parabatai is SO hot-Drake says sarcasm and challenge laced thick in his voice.  
-Gosh Simon!-(That’s his name!)-don’t tell me Magnus isn’t hot.-Isabelle cuts in an amusing note in her voice.  
-I’m not gay!-Simon defends himself and I don’t often experiment this feeling but right now, I felt like punching him. Of course Alec’s boyfriend was hot and that had nothing to do with being gay or not! After all, Alec didn’t wait 18 years for nothing!  
-Of course you aren't but you can admit my brother and his boyfriend are hot!  
-Right, but not infant of Jace.  
-Excuse me?  
-Gee, saying a Magnus and Alec fantasy turns me on intron of you will result in life long blackmailing and mockery. I'm just not doing that!!  
-he's probably right, remember the time we ere all at Magnus's loft and Alec came by later looking for, and I quote, "Mags".-Laughter filled the room as the teens remembered these moments I had no knowledge of. Did they hang out at the warlocks placa often?  
-Yeah... That was awesome...  
-Point is, you STILL mock him about it.  
-True.  
-And you guys remember when Simon took the wrong portal and ended up somewhere in Europe?  
-Totally! how could I possibly end up in the basic country? I mean, what the hell was that portal?  
-The question is, what the hell is a basic country?  
-And that other time after the party when we stayed to help clean up.  
-God, that was such a MESS. I remember finding a real life chicken under the couch.  
-LOL!  
-Simon! Stop saying that, it's so geekish!!!  
-Don't you dare insult my boyfriends awesome geeknality!  
-Point is, after it was all cleaned up Alec arrived and was like, where's Magnus? Why on earth have you got a chicken with you? Wait, it's got pink feathers?!  
-Oh! I remember!! And magnus was in the shower and we were like, Alec, he's in the shower. And he was like, thanks. And then he headed kicked off his boots and headed straight for the bathroom!!! How could I possibly have forgotten such a glorious peace of information?!  
-I mean, I lost my virginity when I was 15, but still, sex in the shower?  
-Imagine Robert or Maryse walked in. THAT, ladies and gentlemen, would be a show worth watching.  
-I'll put it on my to do list then.  
-Simon!!  
-What, if Alec gets to have sex with his boyfriend in the shower, why not?  
-Ex…- barely a whisper, but the truth of it seems to bring them down to earth again and stop their crazy conversation for now. I take this for the perfect moment to cough and make them notice me.

-Oh! Hey mom... How long have you been there?-Izzy asked  
-Long enough-I told her. They all looked at each other and it was one of those looks that says a million words. A silent agreement. They all smiled and Jace cleared his throat.  
-Hmm... Maryse, can I ask you a serious question?-Jace said as he sat across from me.  
-Sure, what is it?  
-Well, it's kind of personal...  
-I don't mind  
-I'm just not sure f it's appropriate...  
-Just ask already!  
-Do you think it's fair that even though all of us had a 6 year head start and Alec is still more experienced than us? I mean, he's had like what? Couple months maybe?  
-I'm not following, what did he have a head start with?  
Another of those looks.  
-See, we all started dating soon after turning 12 while Alec waited 6 years to even consider a date and still, he's had about 4 times as much sex as Simon, Iz, Clary and I together.  
-So, mother... What have you got to say?-Izzy cut in  
-I...I...I had no idea... Why are you asking this again?  
They all started giggling and laughing. Clary took a 10 dollar bill out of her back pocket and handed it to Izzy.  
-You win.  
-Wait, was this a bet? All made up?-I was genuinely confused  
-A bet yes, a lie no. I mean, on the stove? Seriously?  
-You are surprised by the kitchen? I nearly chocked when Magnus told me about the white house, ON THE PRESIDENT DESK!!!  
-Obama let them into his office?-Simon sounded shocked  
-Who is Obama?-Jace and Izzy asked simultaneously which got Clary and Simon laughing so hard they fell and ended up having a laughing fit on the floor.  
-OK, OK... By the way, where were you yesterday Jace?  
\- Jace went to this club Lea told us Alec and his gang usually hang out in.  
-Club?-I seriously couldn't imagine my son at a club-Will he go back there? Can we see him there?  
-I don’t think he will be going there any more.-Simon said  
-Why not? I ask Jace  
-Well, I already told the others but I think I scared him away. Not in the afraid kind of way but more in the avoiding way, this tall brunette spotted me and somehow recognized me. She told Alec and then there was a swirl of ash and he and his gang were gone.-It looked like dark magic or something. I've never seen such a portal before.  
Because it wasn't one...- I murmured. This could only mean one thing, I feared Valentine, Sebastian, the 7 princes of hell, but those were common fears. Like mundanes fear their made up versions of zombies, vampires or witches. But this was different. It wasn’t something ancient, or made up or so sacred it was feared. It was an experiment gone wrong and if these people had my son I could feel the pain of loss already.  
-Mom? What do you mean? Do you know anything about this?  
-The immortals-I said and left the library.


	6. Chapter 6

Isabelle POV

I hopped you could stay out of this, but you seem to attract every single damn problem on this planet!-Maryse swore, and she never does that, like NEVER. Unless something is worth swearing about in her opinion which things like the end of the world, the deaths of every single being on the planet and Robert ruling the universe aren’t. She stormed of the room, blaming the door and leaving us all starring after her. It felt like something I would do, weird.The door bell rung and I went to get it.

As I opened the door I thought about Alec, he used to open this door every Saturday night at 12pm for me to seek back in. He always looked at we with disapproval but he was there every Saturday night anyways. I should have guessed then that hidden behind the disapproval was pure mischief. I looked a the boy infant of me, well...man, or mangod. He sure was beautiful!!!

-Hm...Hey-A tall, lean body greeted me. Popping out of his face where two huge dark blue eyes, nearly black. Full red lips with a little gloss on them and straight thick light brown hair sweat to over his head to the right. He had a little freckle under his left eye and even though he lacked Alec's high cheekbones he looked a lot like him. The eyes must e doing the trick I thought to myself.  
-And you are...?  
-Jorge. Elena told me to drop by since you were kind of worried about Alejandro.-His voice had a very sexy Italian accent. Stop it Isabelle, you are with Simon! I scold myself.  
-Great! I'm Isabelle, his sister. You can call me Izzy.  
-OK then, Izzy. I heard you don't really know much about Alejandro's Whereabouts so I thought I'd enlighten you with my knowledge of your brother.-He talked lightly, as if this was no big deal. He struck me as the kind of guy to wear his heart on his sleeve. Probably Never been hurt. That's it! Alec was just like that. Heart on his sleeve and should an open book for everyone to read.  
-Well then, shall we enter this building and discuss your knowledge?  
-We shall!

Now we where sitting in the library around a table watching Jorge's laptop. He had this video he felt like showing us first thing of all. The hd quality wasn't all that good but the sound was perfect.

Show me how to lie, you are getting fed up all the time and turning all against one isn’t all that hard to teach. Remember clever words and something unsuspected heard, and as you step back in the line… - A loud, smoky and VERY familiar voice sang-Now dance fucker dance-We all seemed to realize who that voice belonged to at the same time. Mum looked astonished, Jace looked placed at first side as if to prove his story, Simon was nodding his head to the rhythm, a flash of recognition passed through Clary’s eyes, she and Simon probably knew the song and I, I didn’t know what to think. How come I never noticed how good my brother sung or how bad a break up could drive his sensible heart and clear mind into craziness. Although he had never sung before, not in the shower, while cooking or in the car and he had never told us how the break up went exactly.-Now dance fucker dance, ain’t ever out of chance and no one even knew it was only you-Shit, it WAS so him - When you walk away, nothing more to say, see the lightning in your eyes, see you running, fuck that lie.-I asked about it once and I tell you, you could have given a whole african tribe drinking water for over a week with all the tears that run down his cheeks as he started so I made him stop and he said he wanted to be alone so I left. I didn’t see him for 3 days, then I spotted him in the kitchen once but he din’t see or notice me as he walked past me, with the broken heart 3000 miles away look in his eyes.

Guys, did Alec ever mention how, where or why they broke up again? Because he never told me anything just little words between sobs I couldn’t make out. The Angel! Who would have thought speaking so unclearly was even possible!  
Not to me-Simon said  
I heard they broke up, but never why, how, where or when, I mean, it was like from one day to the other and Magnus’s name, topic or clothes suddenly were off the table.-We had indeed all started wearing black so Alec wouldn't be reminded of his ex. Even Simon had joined, I loved him even more for it. He wasn’t often at the institute and still he wore only black, at home, here and at the university. On second thought it was kind of sexy too.

-You mean, you don’t know anything about it? Isabelle? Jace? Non of you know? Clary? Simon?-I asked.  
-Oh great… - Simon murmured and got this cute panicked look in his eyes that made my heart want to break free from the cage my ribs formed.  
-Simon?You know something, don’t you?-Clary inquired-Spill you little coward - Her voice was joking but her eyes were dead serious. I remember how Clary had been his best friend for all his life, she knew him so well. I took me some time to get used to it, but even after 2 years it still tingled in my stomach that I din’t know Simon half as well as I would like to.  
I hopped I wouldn’t have to tell you-He looked defeated-See, I was downtown at this huge shop… shit, Izzy how is this shop called where you buy clothes and handbags and stuff like that. It is woman's name, something Spanish…  
-Carolina Herrera!-I blurt out  
-That’s it!-Simon said-At Carolina Herrera and was looking at this shoes which the lady working there said were european 1997 originals with real snake skin but I didn’t like them and anyway; who would want to wear snakes on their feet? So I saw this little purse, all glittery on the edges and golden and it had a small lizard clip. It was really cool and I had just picked it up and taken it to the counter to get it wrapped up since I’m crappy at present wrapping and bows and all that impossible stuff, seriously how do they know how much paper to use before cutting?  
-You were buying a purse?-Jace inquired-Sure Alec has taken off but that doesn’t mean you have to go all gay now.  
-Shut up! It’s just that, see, some weeks ago you went hunting in Brooklyn and when I came along I saw you guys full poweranger ninja mode and then you killed this green thing dressed in a colleague girls body and she had this small purse with a little crocodile on it and you, he said turning to me-like, before killing it I saw you glance at it and I remembered how you told me how awesome the purse with the elephant sticker was from the girls in chinatown. So I’ve been going through all these huge shops and mall trying to find one that fixed with the black dress your dad bought you last year and the red necklace you wear all the time.  
-That’s so sweet!!!-Clary says, and I couldn’t agree more. Like a reflex my arms are around Simons neck and then his hands are on my waist and fireworks explode in my head. I don’t know why people feel butterflies, because I feel the hole freaking zoo every time he touches me. The last thing I hear before drifting off into Simonlandia is Jace: guys, not again!Angel…!

Jace sat on Alec’s bed and stared out the window. So this was what Alec did when he was here; read, heal, hunt, look out the window, pee, take showers, order take out, and look after us. Actually, he probably looked after us more often than he peed.  
Then Magnus had come along, first he wouldn’t admit they were dating, then they would hit it off anywhere anytime, then they broke up, then he wouldn’t stop calling, then he saved that glitter queen’s ass about a thousand times on his fathers planet, word or whatever that place had been, to Jace it had looked like a huge mess worthy centuries of cleaning up. Now that he thought about it lots of people said stuff like; I'd go through hell for you, and then there was Alec, who had actually done that, not just said it. Gone to hell for Magnus and brought him back safe and sound.

After that they moved together, then they wouldn’t separate and it made Jace wonder if he and Clary looked like that to other people, always holding hands, making out, sitting far more together than necessary and well,,, kind of brighter, more alive, happier, fuller. He hopped not because it was really annoying even Izzy and Simon had started to go all PDA at the worst times ever. For example, now, we were just talking about my best friend and puff! One moment his sister looked serious and the next she was in Simon’s arms all passionate and shit.  
DOOOOOONG!  
The institute’s “bell” sounded, Simon and miss-I-won’t-stop-kissing-unless-someone-dies-ontop-of-me finally broke apart. Jace found it deeply uncomfortable watching people kiss and having nowhere else to look so he was grateful for the interruption and rushed down the hall to see who had done this golden favor to him. Although he was open minded and loved new people what awaited him on the other side of the door was nothing less then a huge shock making him want to go back watch Simon and Isabelle make out. As disturbing and uncomfortable as that was.

While normal people use the word hello to greet and Jace was accustomed to that too, for some reason the only word leaving his lips was:  
Hipster.-It came out as a hiss  
Shadowhunter.-A sweet but edged voice said in return  
Who is it?! - Clary shouted from the stairs  
David Lancaster!-the hipster shouted back

Clary came down the stairs a little confused, that hadn’t been Jace’s voice. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw Jace glaring at a tall, tanned dude with half short brown hair and deep brown greenish eyes. He looked like he hadn’t shaved this morning and combined with his loose jeans rolled up at the bottom and his white t-shirt it somehow suited him. He must be a hipster she thought when she noticed the Starbucks cup and the worn grey all stars

I heard you were related to Lightowrm Laxant so I decided to stop by and look at the rest of the nest. Which by the way looks nothing like I expected but is easy to identify; you are Clary the redheaded waitress and her golden god. I wonder were black bitch and smartypants are.  
Excuse me?! - Calry felt pretty confused and had no idea why everyone assumed she had a job as a waitress when she had never managed to get one.  
Who the hell are you?-Jace hated him immediately but enjoyed the fact that David was shorter than him and wore such horrible clothes while he was wearing his favorite letter jacket and a muscle shirt witch showed off his runes and muscles maybe a little too much, just perfect he thought.  
-Sorry, that came out kind of rude, but isn’t the truth always hard to accept?  
-Yeah, totally, when did you manage to accept the fact that you are an asshole and got to terms with the fact that you will never be real a hipster?-Clary shot back with sarcasm and malice laced in he voice. Her comment hit right where she intended to and she could sense the proud look her boyfriend gave her without even looking at him.  
-Nice one, but I’m not here to tell you why I like these clothes or to discuss my manners but to talk to Laxant Lightworm in person so if you would be nice enough to tell him David found him and wants his people back I’ll wait here. - David said and both Jace and Clary sensed the tickle of a new clue to find Alec.  
-Sure, wanna come in?-Jace fake nicely asked him and David was stupid enough to accept.


	7. Chapter 7

Jace sat on Alec’s bed and stared out the window. He had fled the library the moment the first Smack sound was made. Clary offered to show Jorge the music room.  
So this was what Alec did when he was here; read, heal, hunt, look out the window, pee, take showers, order take out, and look after us. Actually, he probably looked after us more often than he peed.   
Then Magnus had come along, first he wouldn’t admit they were dating, then they would hit it off anywhere anytime, then they broke up, then he wouldn’t stop calling, then he saved that glitter queen’s ass about a thousand times on his fathers planet, word or whatever that place had been, to Jace it had looked like a huge mess worthy centuries of cleaning up. Now that he thought about it lots of people said stuff like; I'd go through hell for you, and then there was Alec, who had actually done that, not just said it. Gone to hell for Magnus and brought him back safe and sound.  
After that they moved together, then they wouldn’t separate and it made Jace wonder if he and Clary looked like that to other people, always holding hands, making out, sitting far more together than necessary and well,,, kind of brighter, more alive, happier, fuller. He hopped not because it was really annoying even Izzy and Simon had started to go all PDA at the worst times ever. For example, now, we were just talking about my best friend and puff! One moment his sister looked serious and the next she was in Simon’s arms all passionate and shit.  
DOOOOOONG!  
The institute’s “bell” sounded, Simon and miss-I-won’t-stop-kissing-unless-someone-dies-ontop-of-me finally broke apart. Jace found it deeply uncomfortable watching people kiss and having nowhere else to look so he was grateful for the interruption and rushed down the hall to see who had done this golden favor to him. Although he was open minded and loved new people what awaited him on the other side of the door was nothing less then a huge shock making him want to go back watch Simon and Isabelle make out. As disturbing and uncomfortable as that was.  
While normal people use the word hello to greet and Jace was accustomed to that too, for some reason the only word leaving his lips was:  
Hipster.-It came out as a hiss  
Shadowhunter.-A sweet but edged voice said in return  
Who is it?! - Clary shouted from the stairs  
David Lancaster!-the hipster shouted back  
Clary came down the stairs a little confused, that hadn’t been Jace’s voice. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw Jace glaring at a tall, tanned dude with half short brown hair and deep brown greenish eyes. He looked like he hadn’t shaved this morning and combined with his loose jeans rolled up at the bottom and his white t-shirt it somehow suited him. He must be a hipster she thought when she noticed the Starbucks cup and the worn grey all stars  
I heard you were related to Lightowrm Laxant so I decided to stop by and look at the rest of the nest. Which by the way looks nothing like I expected but is easy to identify; you are Clary the redheaded waitress and her golden god. I wonder were black bitch and smartypants are.  
Excuse me?! - Calry felt pretty confused and had no idea why everyone assumed she had a job as a waitress when she had never managed to get one.  
Who the hell are you?-Jace hated him immediately but enjoyed the fact that David was shorter than him and wore such horrible clothes while he was wearing his favorite letter jacket and a muscle shirt witch showed off his runes and muscles maybe a little too much, just perfect he thought.  
-Sorry, that came out kind of rude, but isn’t the truth always hard to accept?  
-Yeah, totally, when did you manage to accept the fact that you are an asshole and got to terms with the fact that you will never be real a hipster?-Clary shot back with sarcasm and malice laced in he voice. Her comment hit right where she intended to and she could sense the proud look her boyfriend gave her without even looking at him.  
-Nice one, but I’m not here to tell you why I like these clothes or to discuss my manners but to talk to Laxant Lightworm in person so if you would be nice enough to tell him David found him and wants his people back I’ll wait here. - David said and both Jace and Clary sensed the tickle of a new clue to find Alec.  
-Sure, wanna come in?-Jace fake nicely asked him and David was stupid enough to accept.


	8. Chapter 8

They were sitting in the library around a small wooden table. David the wannabe hipster sat on a red sofa next to Simon and Izzy, who had been exactly the opposite of profoundly offended by the dark bitch comment. Clary and Jace sat across from then on an exactly similar looking sofa, the only difference was that this one was really hard to get off since you always sank into it. Jorge told us he had this meeting with some producers so he really had to run and left.

-So, tell us, what do you know about Alec?-Simon started and he felt particularly proud of himself for making the first move in such an authority like voice without the awkward well… at the beginning.He really hated those.  
-See, that is a very general question. I could answer by telling you he likes papaya and hates nacho chips or by telling you he hooked up with my best friend and killed my cat by suffocating it in glitter and vodka. Though I’d prefer telling you about the times he saved my ass, payed my sisters hospital bills or went to watch “Planes” with my little cousin and his friends on his birthday.  
-Whah, stop there right there! How long do you say you have known each other?-Izzy asked feeling a little lost- And who is your best friend? What happened to your sister?   
-What the hell is Planes?-jace asked irritated. He hated those mundane things he couldn't understand.  
-Yeah, start from the top will you? Like, first we met at… and we started taking because… and then… and after that…- Simon added, he hated it when people started telling the story from somewhere in the middle as if it was obvious that someone would drown a cat in glitter!  
-Sorry,-David said with an apologetic smile lingering on his lips-See, those details are a little bizarre but if you want to know I won’t keep secrets.  
-Yes, please-Jace was getting annoyed and he did no effort of hiding it or what so ever.  
-We met on a ferry wheel in Canada, I was there with Brits and Will, (my best friend and my girlfriend), and the whole thing broke down so we were stuck 30 meters up in the sky with glittery cat eyed warlock and a hot shadow-hunter. The conversation went somewhat like this:  
Brits: So… are does original 2003 Carolina Herrera earnings?  
Magnus: Of course my dear but Alexander’s eyes here put them to shame, don’t you think?  
Brits: Totally, are does contacts?  
Alexander blushing: No…  
Brits; Gosh! I had no idea someone could have like, the ocean in their eyes! You guys ever seen anything like it?  
David: Once I was in Mexico, at the beach, and there was this day, huge, blue and reckless sea coming and going. But apart from that one time I never saw anything like it again.  
Alexander blushing like a crazy looks down and Magnus chuckles kissing the blue eyed beauty full on and Alexander pulling the warlock on his lap. Never seen a happier couple in my life. By the time they finished and the asian eyed man was facing us again, but still on his lovers lap with two pale tattooed arms around him and holding two equally pale and tattooed hand leaning into Alexander, Will talked for the first time, and I tell you, Will ain’t no talker, but when he talks, it sticks with you for eternity.  
Will: The immortals; forever we live, we will not be remembered but remember we will. The mortals; for ever they live and forever they are remembered. Because death, my friends, is the price you pay for immortality and this, is something immortals can’t do, for witch they are not immortal, but mortal after all.  
Magnus stared off into space but his knuckles were turning white from skewing Alexanders hand, who looked amazed and didn’t seem to notice the fact that blood wouldn’t reach his finger tips any more.  
Alexander: Wow, that is quiet good actually. Where did you get it from?  
Will is usually sarcastic and mean when he is asked about his comments so I feared the worst but he surprised me, ...indeed he did.  
Will: I think a lot-was all he said  
Alexander: You like writing, don’t you? You write on paper because it feel natural. And if there is no paper there you write in your head, don't you?  
Will looked stunned: Y-yes, how did you know?  
Alexander: just the way you talk, not often but when you do you actually say something. You aim and you hit, you think and you act, you wait and then you tell. People like that don’t become football player or waiters. The also often carry around a special pen, like the one in your pocket.  
Will: OH, you noticed? But yeah, you write too, don’t you?  
Alexander: Sometimes, I don’t really have lots of time, but while I’m waiting, or sitting in the car or in the shower; I see things and start writing about them in my head. Creating invisible stories I will eventually forget, but nevertheless they form automatically. Sometimes I write them down other times I never get the chance to do so, I just remember I had a story but I can’t tell how it looked. It fades, slowly until I remember it being there but not with all its detail, its complexion, its perfection. As you said, to be immortal you must die first. I guess it applies to stories too.  
Will had this recognition look in his eyes, really weird: Indeed..., I do the same thing with everything that happened around me. Walking on the sidewalk turns into walking on a cliff, drinking coffee with my sister turns into the result of a huge fight with some dark people I who don’t actually exist. Leaving a party turns into leaving a cover-life to chase a murder or go to a funeral. But the moment I grab my laptop the dark people become faceless, the party becomes a flash of lights and laughter and the funeral turns into a black illusion. I remember them being there but not being them.  
Alexander: Right, and do you ever get this deyavú feeling when you see something or do something as if you had already played the situation out in your head on another occasion?  
Will: yeah totally!, once I was at this concert playing the bass when a pair off neon green Calvin Klein boxers landed on my left shoulder with my name written on them and I just got the feeling it had already happened. Which is impossible because the song had been written just 12 hours ago  
Alexander: Yeah, I got it once at this musical we went to when the lead singer fell off the stage on top of this huge woman. But you said green boxers..., you mean you made up a story about being hit with a pair of brand underwear?  
Will and Alexander cracked up, and I swear, Will hasn’t laughed sober since his fiancé died. Although he had never had a normal conversation with anyone, not even me or Brits, like ever. And then he just started laughing and talking to some stranger sitting under his husband. Well, at the time we thought they were married but then when brits and I got out of the shock and joined the conversation we kind of found out. It was something like this:  
David: Oh my God! You remember how to talk!  
Will: Shut up asshat!  
Alexander: You picked that up from John Green let it snow let it snow right?  
Will: Totally, omg... You are like a younger version of me.  
Magnus: I’ve lived over a hundred years and you guys probably just about 30 years between the two of you and you have already read twice as many books as me.  
Brits: don’t worry, I know how that feels. I nearly got smacked with a frying pan for not knowing what Naked Lunch was!  
Magnus: You mean like, there is dressed lunch?  
Alexander: You haven’t read Naked Lunch? Gosh, I can’t believe you are sitting on my lap!  
Magnus and Will started chuckling while I shook my head and Brits asked:  
So, how long have you guys been married for?  
Alexander: huh?  
Magnus: Married? We’ve been dating for like 2 month now!  
Alexander: 2 already? By the angel, time goes fast!  
Brits: 2 months? I would have thought you had been married for at least 2 years! I wish I had someone like you guys got each other, so perfect…  
David: You mean you want to guys in love in your living room? Like, over the fireplace or better on the shelf by the kitchen?  
Brits: Dave You know what I mean, well actually, you probably don’t since you are an asexual bookworm!  
We all started laughing and by then the wheel started working again and we partnered ways at the bottom.  
Wow-was the only thing Clary could manage.  
That was probably on their holiday, David; was that about a year or two ago in September or so?-Izzy asked  
-Yes, I think.-David answered  
-But you said your ways partnered there, how did you like, meet again? Wasn’t that 2 years ago in another continent?-Jace inquired  
-Sure it was, actually, it was Will who brought Alexander along about a month ago at “The Boulevard of lost souls”. You know the place? Really good Dj, and the light play… just awesome.-David looked dreamy.  
-Yeah, we went there on Magnus’s “birthday” although his birthday was like 6 times a year. I bet only Alec know when the runway queen was born…he always struck me as a July kind of person- Simon wondered out loud.  
-Anyway, who cares about birthdays,they are just excuses to buy stuff and party. The thing is, Santana, Kieran, Uriah and I were there too and we had no idea Will had come too. He HATES clubs, well social event in general, but he just popped out of nowhere and there he was, skinny tattered jeans and a black button down next to Alexander. We talked, exchanged cellphone numbers and had some drinks. Then Magnus came along and soon I had forgotten how strange the whole Will being there thing was. It is strange how we forget these things, isn't it? Some weeks later, I was at home watching TV when a call from Will came saying there was a problem and I ought to get my ass down to central park right now. Ought to… only Will would say something like that-David smirked and then went on.-I made my way down there and you will never believe me, I didn’t believe it myself at first but fuck, there he was, sex on legs, demons on trays and money in seas of jewels.  
-Would you mind being a little less poetic and more clear?-Simon said annoyed, it annoyed the crap out of him when people wouldn’t get t the point.  
-However, you better see it for yourselves someday, but until then I’ll tell you what I saw. It was unbelievable!!  
-I walked past the lake and into the trees. Then step by step it got harder to breath, colder, I could see my breath in the air, smoke rose from the ground here and there, dead demons lay between bushes and trees, hundreds of them. But what struck me the most, was the power in the air. If you looked careful enough you could see sparks flying here and there. Electricity made my hair stand up. I pushed some leaves out of the way, and when I turned the corner of a huge rock. Will sat there, behind a tree watching. On the ground surrounded by a circle of purple and silver flames sat Kamal, lightning sourced the air and the sound of drums and guitars filled the air along with the energy, getting thicker and my lungs struggling to breath. Then it came, power, not as lightning but as sound. A voice, melodic like a fairy’s but powerful like a warlocks. Heavy like a shadow-hunters heart, precise like a werwolf’s claw and as sharp and elegant as a vampire’s moves. I knew it, but couldn’t place it. It carried power and beauty, but on top of everything, it carried hurt... tons of it.  
…Level I just gotta get you out the cage, oh my young, lover liege, gonna need a spark tonight my songs know what you did in the dark…  
No fucking way, I told myself. There he stood.  
…I got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see that you are the answer do anything except for me you hear…  
Full shadow hunter gear, leather, silver skin, raven black hair and the ocean in his eyes. A mad man looks crazy, a sad man sad and a happy man is in love. But this, I had never see anything like it; determined but uncertain, unexperienced but gracious, fierce but elegant, bend but not broken, he was here but somehow had already left.   
If I tell you the truth, it scared me, it scared the hell out of me and the only thing I wanted to do was leave but it was too late and the next thing I knew Will was standing next to me, a knife priced to my throat whispering these exact words into my ear: High is the price, big is the sacrifice and irreversible the loss. But is it not the price we pay, the sacrifice we make and the people we lose what defines us? Thy Immortals shall rise and so thy mortal must fall.  
This is it, I thought, the end, I’m dying by the hands of my psychopathic friend as a sacrifice with FOB as background music. Despite the anger blocking my vision and making me see red, I managed to see an arrow fly and then stop above my ear and my side hurt like shit.  
It took a couple of seconds to realize the arrow had hit my friend’s shoulder for which I was very grateful. Where the pain was coming from, I had no idea and why was I lying face down on a mushroom? Then it dawned on me I had fallen to the ground and the pain in my side was the pressure of Alexanders boot digging into my ribcage keeping my face pressed into that miserable mushroom it was too late. He hit me hard with his bow, I suppose it was that, because I woke up on a yacht in the middle of the Pacific ocean, with the damn mushroom stuck to my cheek. Alexander stoop at the railing, his shoulders sagged, his arms exposed to the cold wind and his jacket on my chest. I took it in my hand and made my way towards him after several failed attempts to get the dam mushroom off my face I gave up and walked with the shitty vegetable sticked to my face up to your brother, friend and parabatai. When he saw me, the corners of his mouth twitched up in a half smile as he informed me he had found it very amusing that the washroom had made it through the portal, so he had held it for the best to glue it to my cheek since we struck him as the perfect couple. The conversation went on as I protested about the stupid thing glued on my cheek and he assured me it suited me and all. Then I noticed the trails of tears on his cheeks. His eyes looked darker and the scar on his left arm stood out more than usual. I decided not to mention it but my decisions are never for too long so I asked anyway and the thing went somewhat like this:  
Me: you’ve been crying?  
Alexander: yeah, no fun being tricked into waking the dead and then shooting your friend in the shoulder just to run away carrying a hippie half across the world, steeling a bout from an Italian marketing guy and discovering I have no idea how to sail a boat so now we are lost and I don’t even know why I brought you with me instead of dropping you in NY so Iz and Jace can take car of you, instead of tagging you along with me  
Me: Well, that sounds like a crappy day to me, but may I ask why you are crying? I don’t suppose you feel sorry for a marketing guy who lost his ship or for the mushroom stuck to my face, now do you?  
Alexander: Not really, though I do feel kind of bad for you now that I think about the fact that there is no soap on this ship.  
Me: What? You mean I’ll have to walk around with this abomination on my face?  
Alexander: Your face is already an abomination and besides, you don’t have to walk around with it, you can just sit down.  
Me: Dude! Stop making fun of me and my mushroom and tell me why you are so upset.  
Alexander: I miss Magnus. Do you know how frustrating it is? How it hurts? The pain, the responsibility I’m forced to carry just because I happened to be born first?-He sighs-Of course you don’t…Nobody does.  
I hadn’t expected the conversation to take such a dramatic turn and when it did I had no idea what to say and when I don’t know what to say I always say the worst thing possible. Like for example: there was this girl, her boyfriend just dumbed her and she came to me crying and I had no idea. So I tried to cheer her up, making a joke about blacks always being as straight as sticks. Turns out her boyfriend was African and had dumped her for a guy. From there it only went from bad to worse and in the end, given some very unpleasant circumstances I was forced to steel a banana and escape through the chimney. So…with Alexander things didn’t go SO bad, but it was far from good.  
Me: Maybe you should try talking to more people, see if there is anybody like you out there. Instead of isolating yourself in the middle of the ocean plotting out some bizarre death.  
Alexander: Indeed my young friend, indeed… That’s why I brought you along, since William didn’t make it and his fate was left in the hands of Glenda, Mexico’s most successful pimp, you must fulfill the task of enlightening me abut certain magic I do not fully understand.   
And just like that the conversation had taken another dramatic turn. This time, towards magic. We talked for about another hour before Alexander told me to get the mushroom off my face because it was freaking him out and we set curse towards the Caribbean Islands, at least we figured they' deb somewhere to the right. There we checked out some hotels, I introduced Alexander to some of my people there, we went to party, then back to some hotel Alexander had booked earlier and the next thing I know is I fall asleep before my head touches the canarien yellow pillows. The next morning I have a monumental headache. I look for the blue eyed mess I expected to be lying on the couch, but he is nowhere to be seen. I make my way to the window and look out just in time to see him leaving. He sees me, sticks out his middle finger and mouths “fuck you”. I’m too confused to get angry. Why would he be standing there on the side walk being picked up by a fancy limo, no circles under his eyes, skin perfect and the suit, where the hell did that come from? There had been nothing on the ship and we hadn’t entered a single shop. Why did he insult me? Why where we even here in first place? What the fuck was the scene with Will, Kamal and Alec earlier? I walked over to the little coffee table between the hot pink couch and the flat TV. There was a picture of a tiny white cat on the edge of the couch. It was quite old, and looked like someone had been holding it a very long time, worn at the edges. The cat would’ve looked like a hamster to me if not for the eyes. There was part of a hand on it too, long black fingernails and an emerald green golden ring on it. The hand was long with an artists touch to it. I’ve been looking for that hand ever since. Trying to find out what happened. Sure I had been played; I introduced him to all the important people. The kind of people you need to know to get off an island unnoticed, to disappear, even to temporarily die. I had told him all about the black echo and the magic involved, the people he needed to know in order to control it. Everything, but why the ship? Why travel across the world for all this? I had no idea at first, but when I set a foot outside the hotel, the police were suddenly there and I was arrested. Turns out your little bastard of a parabatai had stolen the yacht, murdered Will and illegal smuggled 307 kilos of pot and booze into Europe and back into America. He however, reported this to the police twisting he story so it would look like I had done all the shit and on top of it all, kidnaped Alexander and forced him to meet a bunch of dangerous people. I spend the next 7 months of my life in jail until I was able to escape, get some surgery, papers and come here to kick the crap out of that asshat. So where the fuck is he?!  
EXCUSE ME?-Isabelle couldn’t believe her ears. What in the world was this idiot talking about?  
It took 20 full minutes to take all this in, and once it sank in another 10 minutes to get everyone to calm down. Jace refused to believe this, Isabelle felt like crying or punching David in the face, she wasn’t quite sure which to do first. Clary had left before David had finished his story to go check on her mum, who was sick...again. That woman attracted viruses like Jcae girls. Simon had gone with her, so the 2 siblings were the only ones left.  
Ok… let’s see, you are saying you met in Europe, partnered ways, then Will brought you back to each other, so to speak, Will turned all evil and when you went to check he was… he was what?  
David: hiding behind a rock watching Kamal sitting in a circle of light watching your brother work his magic.  
-Right, and then things got out of control with Will who attacked you and Alec saved you. Brought you to a ship he stole, killed Will, took you to some islands, used you to meet your friends, got you kicked in jail and left. So you are here to beat him up.-Jace put everything together nicely and it made no sense what so ever.  
-Right.-Davide looked at them expectantly as if this was normal for them or something.-Well, and find out about the black echo and how he managed to get Kamal on his side... That fucking little bastard took everything from me!  
-Jeez! Calm down, will you?  
-Jace shut up! Who is Kamal?  
-Ancient powerful warlock,wanted for murder in about 76 countries, pimp, asshole and also my half brother.  
-And this guy was on your side, what is your side exactly?  
-Right now the side against Alejandro!!!  
-Yeah sure, but what kind of magic did you say he did? And what was the part with the voice?-Izzy tried fitting the idea of a sexy, badass, pop singer, serial killer, Alexander into the picture she had of her brother. One word: Impossible.  
-See… I can only tell you so much about certain things, which include the type of magic “the immortals” use and about the voice, I can only tell you what I heard, which was pure power, so thick the air crackled with electrons.-David looked uncomfortable talking about this, VERY uncomfortable. As if this was a secret.  
-Right, the immortals. Who are they again?-Jace tried to sound casual, Maryse had said this earlier and she didn’t look happy or comfortable with the idea. Like, at all.  
-Hmm, you guys don’t know what they are, do you? And…you haven’t got the slites idea of where Alexander could be. Am I right?-David’s humor and easiness had disappeared. He didn’t look uncomfortable anymore either, rather panicked. However, it hurt like hell being reminded of not knowing where her brother was.  
-David, Do you know where he could be? Jace saw him at a club, but he disappeared, he can’t be that far, maybe we can still catch him-Izzy said  
-Catching him? You crazy! You got a death wish, or what? Meeting the immortals, chasing them? Never. Trust me, you don’t want to meet them, you don’t. Seriously, I talk a lot of shit most of the time, I love parties, suicide missions and adrenaline rushes. But I’m not one of does people who flirt with death, who go into danger just for fun. I'm not your brother, You her me? I don’t wanna die, I love my life, my girlfriend, my chihuahua. I’m not going to give these up in an attempt to meeting the devil’s private army.-David was dead serious and his gaze had turned dark.  
-By the angel! Just tell us already!  
-Why me? Your mum must know all about them, since she helped create them in first place.-David stood up and walked out. Well, at least he tried. Maryse stopped him knocking him out cold with the hilt of her sword.  
-Mum! What was that for? And What is he talking about?  
-No time to explain, they are at times square. We gotta move. Get ready.-Jace recognized it immediately, the authority in her voice, the urge, the flame of excitement. 

The sign of battle.


	9. Chapter 9

2 hours and 3 punches later

Izzy stood on the side walk at the entrance of an alley, her whip curled around the neck of a pale, small dark haired and grey eyed boy.  
One last time, who gave you that sweater?-Jace bellowed. Angelic power radiating from him, I could feel it on my skin and the small boy, probably just turned 16, felt it too. He wouldn’t stop shaking. Tears pooled in his stormy eyes but he wouldn’t let them fall.  
A..a..a..f..f r..friend g..g a..gave i..it t..to m..me-His voice was sweet, high pitched and thick with fear.  
WHO?!  
I..I..I  
For the angel’s sake! Stop stuttering!-Izzy couldn’t take it any longer. She slapped him across the face. That worn dark blue sweater had clearly once belonged to Alec. She had bought it herself at the Abercrombie and Fitch winter sales. It had this little snowflakes on the side and the hole Jace had burned in it when he had tried to smoke a cigar like a “Tea time and cookies english gentleman.” Why the fuck was this kid wearing it?!!  
The tears fell but he talked.  
I can’t tell you who gave it to me, my friend said I shouldn’t tell anyone who had red hair and green eyes, a whip, brown curls and a ratty touch or a blond golden eyed asshole. A..and you guys fit the description, s … sorry…  
Izzy was dumb folded, the ratty touch was a cruel joke but the only person who had made that joke had been Magnus, which meant, this mysterious friend could only be…  
Alexander, is your friend named Alexander?-Jace mouthed her thoughts.  
The boy looked down and refused to talk, which only led to Jace kicking him in the nuts, which then led to him doubling over, tears and a small cry. The cry had been a mistake. How dare he feel hurt when HE was the one wearing her brothers sweater? He wasn’t the one who had already lost a brother and was close to losing another one!  
WAS HE NAMED ALEC!-The whip came down on him hard, Jace’s foot contacted with his back, his stomach, his ribs. Jace kneeled down next to the boy, a bloody mess rather than a boy anyways, and took out his seraph blade, put tit to his through and ask him;  
ONE LAST TIME, IS YOUR FRIEND NAMED ALEC? Talk! You dirty little bastard-he added dangerously low.  
Y..y..yes-The living corpus muttered, covering his face.   
-Now, where is he?  
-Th..the m&m s..shop at-he never got to finish because a bolt of lightning crashed between him and Jace, knocking us all back and to the ground. When I looked up from my position behind some card board boxes and trash cans I saw what I thought only happened in music videos on youtube.

5 Guys, muscular, leather jackets, tattered skinny jeans and black boots walked towards us. Hips and shoulders swinging a little, mad looks in their eyes and crazed smiles on their faces. The first one to the left had one of those long handle hammers in his left hand, sliding it on the floor, making a horrible noise. Light blue eyes, thick black hair, those earning that make actual holes into tour ears, a pierced eye brow and a thorns tattoo running up his neck and disappearing beside his ear.  
The next one looked just as muscular, but had a slightly artistic built. Light hair, styled so it went upwards at the front. Hazel eyes, long this dark eyelashes (was that makeup?) and high cheekbones. A chain in his left hand,the right one glittered with green light. A warlock, obviously! I thought.   
The next tow looked just like the typical old school brother pair. The badass hottie and the cruel innocent looking devil. The slightly taller one (cute devil) had dark eyes, raven black curls and marble white skin, while the other one had freckles all over his face, dark green eyes glittering with intelligence and black straight upwards styled hair. The fifth one was… no way… Alec…  
Dark blue eyes, as pale as ever, tight jeans and even though he was wearing a leather jacket I could clearly see his muscle mass had doubled, if not tripped.   
Jace and I stoop back to back while 4 guys cornered us and Alec bend down next to the boy, checked his pulse, swirled around and glared at us.  
Alec…- Jace muttered. Clearly hurt, but more astonished than ever.  
-What did he do to you?-Alec demanded, his tone flat and void of any emotions  
-N..Nothing, he was wearing your sweater and well… what the fuck man? Where have you been? Why did you suddenly take off like that? We haven’t heard from you in months! And now you corner us and get all worked up about some street kid?! We haven’t talked in forever Alexander! The string is tight and it hurts man, it really does. But you know what hurts more, the fact that you don’t even care about us. You leave and don’t even bother calling. Tell me, how hard can it be to send a text? It can’t be that hard, you wouldn’t stop calling Magnus the first time you broke up and now you leave the continent and don’t even bother with bye?  
-Shut the fuck up Herondale!!! You don't get to judge me, nor Jake nor my reasons to leave!!!-Alec lost his grip and flew off the handle, blue flames shooting out of the ground all around him. This took me aback but I still couldn’t think straight.  
A…A…Alec, please com home… We can talk, we can fix this!-I pleaded  
-You can’t fix anything, you can’t fix me. It too late.  
-Then just come back to the institute, your friend does needs some fixing and there is everything you need. Just come. Please man...-Jace pleaded  
-Don't you dare man me, understood?  
-Whatever fine, just come with us  
-One reason I should come with you  
-He needs bandages, rest and food-I said nodding my head towards the tiny body on the floor.  
-The institute has those, you can leave tomorrow  
-I can leave whenever I want  
-True, but today you are coming with us...for him.-Jace stated, referring to the boy we had beaten up.  
-Lets move then-Alec scooped the small boy up and carried him to the side of the street. The tall tattooed guy whistled and 3 cabs pulled over. I ended up in a cab with Alec and the boy, Jacob, in the back. Jace went with the old school boys and the other two went in the third cab.

 

-Show me-Alec’s voice was so gentle, nothing compared to the previous Alec. The flaming frustrated angry Alec. What was it with the blue flames anyway?  
-The small boy reveled his wrists and showed him some cuts, then I realized Alec meant something different, not the damage we had caused. Jacob cut, I felt sorry for him but couldn’t help but notice that instead of sitting next to my brother he sat on him. Curled up against his chest, his legs drawn close to Alec’s side with his feet on the seat next to Alec, who held him tight. One hand around his body and the other one stroking his hair.  
-Alec, why did they want the sweater so bad?-A raspy and shaky voice from crying came out of Jacobs mouth.  
-I’m so sorry, this is all my fault.  
-No way! You always blame everything on yourself. This was my fault, I wandered off when Gabriel told me to stay... I'm really sorry for your sibling though.  
-Hm… Sometimes good people do horrible stuff because they are motivated by he wrong things. You understand that? They wanted the sweater because it connected them to me, as if it would help them track me. It would have just been easier if you just gave it to them…  
-I know… It’s just, I was really scared and said the wrong stuff, like; you know the thing with the ratty touch?  
-You seriously said that? Oh man… You don’t look like one, but I tell you, you are such a suicidal little shit. I’ll make it up to you, I promise, you hear me? It’s going to be fine. We’ll fix you before Vick comes back, it’s all going to be fine.  
-Yeah-Jacob sounded calmer which took some of the concern out of Alec’s voice, though not all of it.  
-Where does it hurt the most?-This time I suspected it was about the damage Jace and I had inflicted. I so badly wanted to apologize... I would have, but it just wasn't the time to do so.  
-Hm, you see, I got kneed in the balls and that’s the sort of thing only Vick can fix-Jacob giggled. Alec chuckled and buried his face in the smaller boy's thick black hair.  
-You little perv…You suicidal little pervert...-Alec had a smile on his lips, and to my surprise it reached his eyes, lighting them up like 2 blue lamps.  
-Hey, it’s the truth. If you were in my place, who would you let fix it?  
-You obviously-Alec joked, but then added more seriously-Magnus, but still, is there anything I can do?  
-I’m really tired, cold, scared, I hurt all over and I miss Vick.-he sounded heart broken and I felt bad, wanted to apologize, but this just wasn’t the time, again, so I held my tongue.  
-Come here.-Alec put his leather jacket around the tiny body and hugged him tighter to his chest, kissed the top of his head and murmured sweet word, telling him Vick, Jake’s boyfriend or girlfriend, would be there soon. When I fully turn around I saw jake curled up against Alec, who was holding him, tight and gentle at the same time. Drawing circles on his back and when he looked up, his eyes where dark blue, filled with worry and fatigue. Despite all that had happened and the fact that it looked like he hadn’t slept in ages he smile at me.

-Alec... I am truly sorry.-I sighed -It all going to be fine, it always does, doesn't it?  
-I'm not so sure, not this time...-His gaze was lost. Looking at me without actually being me. -I'm not sure at all...


	10. Turn down for what

Turn down for what!-Jace woke with a star. The electric music had first seemed part of a dream, a nasty one if I may add, but now that he was awake it seemed unlikely to be a product of his imagination. Slipping into his sneakers and throwing on a black wool jumper he made his way down the hall way towards the infirmary. Three corners, 4 steps and 7 shivers away from the infirmary he bumped into someone. Instinct taught him to tackle him or her. Left knee, right fist, twist to the left and connect.  
Jeez! Easy dude! I ain’t gonna steel your medical equipment!-A freaked out Spanish accented male voice echoed in the dark hall way. Jace let go and then a small flame went on. In the flickering light Jace could see a boy, about 17, with dirty blond hair and brown greenish eyes staring back at him.  
Herondale right?  
Yeah, and who are you?  
Tobias Bow.  
Never heard of you.  
Never heard of me and never heard of the rest of the teenage mundane population on this shitty planet. But don’t worry, I never heard from you either, until a couple weeks ago from your bro and you just punched me, so I guess we are even. If you excuse me I now must go and turn DJ Snake and Lil Jon down before the music man gets to excited and we all end up frozen in place dressed as fries and unicorns. A pleasure to meet you.  
He talked fast, fluent, with a small Spanish accent and just like that he was gone. Slipped around the corner and Jace was left standing there alone wondering about what the hell just had happened.   
There was no logical answer to it so he headed the direction Tobias had headed and ended up in the infirmary. There was some guy smoking by the window, an other one reading, someone lay on the floor with his feet up on a chair instead of sitting in it and the kid they beat up lying in the bed next to that chair.   
He radiated greenish light, the room was freezing but all 3 of them seemed fine with it. Then he noticed Tobias who had just walked over the reading guy’s stomach and turned the fan off, closed the window, cursed a couple times, stole the smoking guy’s cigarette, took a drag and smacked the other dudes head. All this while he talked in some language, Jace assumed it was Spanish, but he wasn’t sure since he only knew one Spanish word “Pollo” and it meant chicken.  
Que chingados estáis haciendo!, se supone que no debemos llamar la atención en este manicomio y lo primero que hacéis es poner música. Yo alucino! Levanta Gabriel! En serio, en que coño estáis pensado! Dame eso y apaga el puto ventilador. Dios!  
He spoke so fast it all sounded like a single complicated long word. Jace decided to stick with Pollo.  
Tranquilo tronco! Ni que fuera pa tanto! relax hermano…  
Eso es, todo ta bien! Deja de estrenarte y dame el cigarro, cabrón…-The Mexican looking dude said.  
Vete a la mierda, Mañana nos largamos y si Victor no llega no vamos a poder moverle de aquí- The first one said jerking his head toward the bed.  
Me importa una mierda si nos vamos o no, cuando llega el castrado?  
A todo esto, de donde sale eso de castrado?  
Si no? El pobre imbécil no ha hecho ada en su vida y ya lo castraron, pobre tío…  
Tequila?  
Margaritas?  
Piña Colada?  
Tequila.  
Toma!!! En tu cara!!! Tequila gana. Dos contra uno y uno.  
Fumata…  
Drogadicto  
Maricón  
Foca arcaica de metabolismo lento y retraso sexual.  
La foca gana.  
Tequila?  
Tequila hermanos!

It was quite an odd feeling, watching these strangers talk back and froth between them, the gestures, they seemed pretty close. It reminded him of the times he Izzy and Alec would sit around the laundry room chatting and doing particularly non productive shit.  
By the time he looked back around the corner into the room, the dude in the bed was awake and talking. IN English! Hallelujah!  
…I’m staying and that’s it.  
For fuck’s sake Jake! We gotta get moving man. If we stay he’ll break down completely and we still haven't got half the energy.  
Gabriel is right, if we stay it won’t help but pretty much pull us back about 4 weeks which we can’t afford, they’ll catch up on us immediately if we stop and truth be told, I don’t feel like having my nails pulled out one by one.  
Nobody cares about your nails! You get moving, I stay and wait for Victor you do whatever you like.  
Nipa! Si nos separamos they’ll catch up en seguida!  
Vale ya! We stay until Wednesday and by nightfall we move. Entendido?  
Yes!  
Fine…  
If by tomorrow my tongue is cut off I blame you and only you.  
Cut off tongue would suit you…  
Yeah, I do kind of feel like Roberto silence. How about you people?  
Sounds good to me  
Excuse me? You’d sell my tongue? Do I get this right?  
5 bucks? Maybe 5,50?  
That’s expensive Mauro  
Yeah, you’re probably right. How about a goat and a half?  
I give you 3 rabbit legs and my wife, what do ya say hermano?-The Spanish accent was so hilarious Jace wondered wether it might be faked, sure nobody talked like that naturally? Would they?. Where do these dudes even come from?  
You can have my husband, a silver fork and Samuels left ball. Shit!   
What?  
I can’t offer you that!  
They all cracked up not giving a damn about the fact that their music (which by the way was now going on and on about how it’s going down for real), their voices and laughter would probably wake up the whole institute.


	11. Somewhere I belong

Izzy POV

What the hell? Who listened to music at 3:28 am on a Tuesday  
Fly me up by the silver wing  
Pass the black word silencing   
Seriously?  
and drop me down to the river below…  
Laughter, shouting, voices singing along? Where these people having a party 30 minutes after nearly getting their friend beaten to death by two shadowhunters? Because if that was the case, said people had very peculiar costumes… Just to be sure, I made my way out of my room into the cool hallway. I lived here for over half of my life and I knew the institute inside out but walking down a dark hallway which for some reason was quite windy (open window probably, who opens a window in the middle of the night, it was December, by the angle). I hugged my arms and walked past Alec’s room. It had been so long since he slept in there… However, I highly doubted he would be in there. My suspicions were confirmed when I got to the laundry room on the third floor, 7 door away from he infirmary.  
I stopped and peeked through the door. It was quite a thing to walk down dark corridors with Linkin Park playing in the background, a little bit like these “video clips” mundanes liked to watch. I was kicked off my train of thoughts by Alec’s voice emerging from the second door ahead of me.  
-…Don’t care. He’s fine and if this puts us back 3 nights I still don't give a flying shit about it, tell Ginebra to go fuck herself. Jacob is alive and that is all I care for right now.  
-Liar…- It was a low whisper with a slightly challenging undertone in it.  
-Hm…Sure…- Alec’s voice turned distant so I considered it a wonderful opportunity to peek around the door and what I saw was… Alec angle and Alec demon. Literally there by the piano sat the vampire version of Alec. Charcoal black straight hair, red lips and high cheek bones. Apart from the red eyes, being less muscled and slightly more elegant (That was one of the reasons I liked/hated vamps, they were so god dam elegant no matter how ugly they were, those creepy little bastards).  
-It’s not my place to ask, but, why the maze?  
-You are right, it’s not your place to ask. Although the question you should be asking yourself is why not the maze?  
-It’s too common. Everybody would go there first, no reasonably smart person would do that. I mean, you are not stupid, quite the opposite and him? If I were you I’d chosen something safer, smaller, further away. Besides, it’s too obvious… …Shit… …It’s perfect, isn’t it?  
-Indeed Shawnees, indeed it is.  
-Did anyone ever tell you what a genius you are? A freaking genius! I mean, you don’t talk or do much, but what you do, you do it perfectly. Like…a master.  
-Wicked, isn’t it?  
I could hear red Alec chuckling darkly, what by the angel where they talking about? Who is Ginebra, what maze? Is Magnus in some kind of maze? Why is it perfect? Why would Alec be a genius, he was smart, but a genius? Wicked? Why had I assumed it was Magnus who they were talking about’ Holy shit,of course it was him!  
I heard steps approaching and quickly backed away into the shadows. Funny, how she had always been in the spotlight and Alec in the shadows, now the roles where reversed. Or had it always been Alec who kept them in the dark. Had he planed this? Was this Magnus’ idea? His? Jakes? Who was Shawnees? When had he gotten into the building?  
Walking down the corridor came 4 boys and a whole lotta noise. The first one looked about 19-20, tanned, cigaret in his mouth, backwards turned baseball cap with slightly curled dark hair under it. Small nose, full lips, low eyebrows, sharp features, huge eyelashes and beautiful dark slightly almond shaped like eyes with grey shadows under them. He was shirtless and wore grey sweatpants. His feet bare. Why someone would wear a cap but no shirt nor shoes was a mystery to me. It wasn’t even fashionable! But then again, somehow…If Simon hadn’t existed I would have switched to full flirting mode, because he was VERY handsome and the dangerous glimmer in his eye was plain sexy. The other 3 had their hood over their heads, but judging by how they were build, they must have spend half their lives in the gym and the other half swallowing steroids. They went in and the door closed behind them. Incoherent voices and music were the only thing I could hear now so I slid down the wall and waited for Alec to walk out.

 

Oh!-A small voice pulled Izzy out of her sleep. She’d fall asleep, there i the hallway next to the door…Why was she here again?  
Hm…Uh…How are you miss?  
What the hell…? Why am I here, where is here?  
That’s a very interesting question…  
Indeed it is.-Izzy said, stood up and then it hit her. Silence, no music, shouting, laughter or talking. Right! She had been waiting for Alec to come out, was he still in there?  
Do you happen to know where my brother is?-Izzy asked  
I believe he’s asleep in somewhere behind the door you are leaning on, along with the rest of the crew and Castro.  
The crew? You men that bunch of guys with the music and cigarettes?  
They do smoke a lot, so yeah. With them  
What are their names again?  
It’s Gabriel, Fabrizio, Tobias and Roberto…but Fabrizio goes by Mauro, Gabriel is fine with Gabo or Raziel and Roberto goes by Rob…Just if you plan on talking to them, don’t use their full names, it’s not a good idea.-He said this while unconsciously touching his left shoulder blade. There was a small scar there, from when he called Roberto by his full name. He’s really tried calling him Rob, but it just didn’t come out. He didn’t talk to him, not anymore.  
Ok, thanks I guess-Isabelle couldn’t help but notice the little tremble in the kid’s voice when he said Roberto and then how his hand went to his back. She added in a more gentle way-Jake? Did they ever hurt you?  
For the first time Iz felt as if he really saw her, not the smudged make up, the high heels or the golden whip. But her, Izzy who had lost Max, encouraged Alec, supported Jace and…beaten the crap out of Jake…  
I, I know this is not my place to ask and I have no right to, but I’m sorry. For everything…For beating you, for starring at you and my brother in the cab, for not having said sorry earlier, for not coming to check on you when you were in the infirmary…I truly am sorry, but please know, you can tell me anything. This may not mean anything to you, but you remind me of Max…if he had… lived…he’d probably look just like you…  
It mean something, I know about Max…Apology accepted-A small shy smile followed.-So ask whatever you want to ask, I don’t lie, I can’t, actually.  
The crew, have they hurt you?  
Who hasn’t?-was all he said in response as he walked past Izzy into the room. Isabelle followed soot and what she saw, was nothing less than a shock.  
Spread out on the couch lie a pretty much naked guy, only thing covering him, a red blanket laying so low on his body that you could see half his ass. (Holy crap, a hot one!). Next to him on the floor lay another one, ripped up in the rest of the red blanket that fell off the couch. Izzy got the feeling that if he moved just an inch, the world would have the pleasure of meeting a new sexy tanned butt.  
On the piano lay another one, this one clothed in sweatpants and a grey hoody for a change. Sitting on the couch next to the window was the “dark Alec version”, sipping tequila and taking long drags from his cigarette. He nodded his head in her direction, then at the armchair next to the fireplace,, before turning back to the window.  
Curled up in Marisa’s favorite armchair lay another guy, wrapped in… wait, was that her baby blanket? Son of a bitch…How dare he? She was about tot yell her thoughts when she spotted a mop of black hair just peeking u from under the blanket. Could that be who she thought it was?  
Alec-it was barely a whisper, but it cut through the cigarette & booze contaminated air like a yell. It was so quiet, only soft breathing.-Over there, by Tobias.-jake was right. He didn’t wait for the older girl to react. He made his way over there and tugged at the corner of the blanket.  
-Hmmmm…  
-Tobias-Jake whispered as the other boy’s hazel eyes opened.  
-Quien…?-Izzy recognized the voice, drunken, tired and not fully awake. he would have such a hangover…  
-Jake  
-Oh Dios…Y ahora que?-He nudged the body beside him and mumbled something. The mop of hair beside him shifted, it was Alec…Izzy knew the armchair was extremely big, that’s why their mum loved it. You could easily lie down in it, they used to cal it the-comfy-chair-house. The other guy, Tobias, lifted the blanket and elbowed Alec, who was curled up against the hazel eyed beauty, once peacefully sleeping, now awake, probably hangover and feeling like shit. But nevertheless he saw Jake, stood up and made his way out of the room. Carefully picking his way between empty bottles and ashtrays, Jake followed. He nodded in my direction and mouthed; let’s go.


	12. secrets come to life

The moment we walked into the library and instead of using a light switch Alec just waved his hand, I knew there wasn't something bad going on, something bad had already happen, and things were not getting just started, we were right in the middle of something, something big. There is one thing a shadow hunter can't do, and that 's magic. You can learn about it and even perform, but it takes great concentration and energy. Either way, Alec didn't have any of these. he moment the lights went on and my eyes fell on his face I froze. He had always been pale, but this...It was like looking at a freshly polished grave stone. Marble white, not a single flaw. His cheekbones where more pronounced, somehow higher, sharper. His eyebrows the color of coal and his lips full, red and...moving...talking, shit! What is he talking about?

-...Clave, so you won't get to do anything. You'll stay here and be safe. Understand me?

-Huh? I'm sorry, I...I'm still half asleep, what was that?-I couldn't get over the how much he had changed, even his walk was different. Sure shadow hunters moved in a silent elegant way, but now watching him walk across the room and hop onto Hodge's table I noticed he didn't make a single sound, not even when he pushed a stack of newspapers out the way. he sighed and started again.

-I was telling you if you don't do what I tell you to do, I will report you to the clave and you will go to prison for the rest of your life, be stripped off your marks _and_ be disowned. So you are going to do whatever I tell you, whenever I tell you and however I tell you. Understood?

-Yes sir!

-I'm serious Izzy, this isn't Sebastian alright? This is real, and right now you have no idea of what's going on and I would love to keep it that way, but I won't, _if_ you swear to do exactly what I tell you to do.

-Holy shit, just tell her already! She gets the point!!!-I looked over at Jake, he was lying on a a couch with his feet up on the coffee table, his hair a black mess and his eyes shining in the dark. Alec had tuned on just the front lights of the place, Jake lay on a couch in the back, so it was a little dark but when he moved to get his feet off the table and put his elbows on his knees, leaning forward I saw it. It was as if just for a split second I could see his bones. As if whenever the light shifted I saw an Xray of his face. He smirked and chuckled darkly.

-Every heard of the _Postmortem Bridge State_?


	13. The devil feared me and the Angel despised me

-No...Alec, what _is_ he?-Alec's hand came up to his hair and tugged at it. I was surprised to feel relieve, at least his old little habits were still there.

-Fate...


	14. Chapter 14

-Yes, fate, destiny, coincidence, fairytale, whatever you want to call it.   
-Fairytale?-Jake was amused by all this, Alec on the other hand wasn’t enjoying this one bit. Why was everything so complicated? Why him? Why not some other shadow hunter or werewolf… Angel! Even a mundane! But why him? Shit now Jake was probably reading his mind and about to make a comment, right in front of Izzy. Jeez how he hated this kid!!!  
-Asking yourself the ultimate “why me”? You are doing it all wrong, it isn’t why you, you should be asking yourself why not you. You are the perfect target, young, pure, truthful, intelligent and passionate!-he had laughed, half screamed the last part.-Don’t forget passionate…I swear to God Alexander, I truly and utterly have never ever seen more passion IN MY LIFE. And that is saying something, considering I’m older than the very own Bane himself! Pure man’s life looks like a kitten next to mine…He had no idea what he was getting into, did he? And you never told him, did you? When do you actually plan on telling him about Fabio? Hey sweetheart, you mind passing me a dictionary? Just wanna check if screwing and protecting are synonyms, because your bro over here apparently doesn’t see the difference.-Izzy looked pretty confused, Alec was trying hard to keep it cool, even if it was just for her sake. Anger bubbled up inside of him, emotions started boiling and the sensation of fire pulsing through his veins became stronger by the minute. He knew Jake wanted to get him to fly off the handle and pull off the show of the month. Well, sorry pal, it’s not happening. Jake might be twice as powerful but Alec was at least 5 times as smart.  
-No need-he said to Iz, but looked at the little freak sitting in HIS institute, insulting HIS boyfriend and embarrassing him in front of HIS sister-I know the difference, but does Victor? Or is it Victoria? No wait, was it Tori? Or was it Troy?-Jake looked about as confused as Izzy felt. Was her brother having a catfight with the sweet little boy who didn’t really remind her of Max any more?  
-I’m not sure what you are getting at here, but I suggest you keep it to yourself unless you want her to know the truth.  
-Right, but what if I cannot keep it to myself as it is not actually my thought as much as it is your reality?   
-THAT was one hell of a line Lightwood, how long have you spent practicing it?  
-Probably not as long as you kept your tongue in Mauro’s mouth-Alec shot back and just like that Jake was thrown off his game. He did not count on Alec finding out about it, but then again, Jake was the only one who smoked Malboro and Mauro tasted like Malboro, so even a blind man would have seen the evidence and connected the dots.  
-How did you…?-He never got to finish because Isabelle Lightwood had one hell of a temper and not such a big hell of patience.  
-SHUT THE FUCK UP! BOTH OF YOU! I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR SEX LIFE NO ABOUT YOUR GOSSIP!I WANAT TO KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON WITH MY BROTHER AND I DON’T GIVE A FLYING SHIT ABOUT WHAT A FATE IS! SO ALEXANDER GIDION LIGHTWOOD, YOU EITHR START TALKING OR I’M GONNA RIP YOUR BALLS OFF AND STUFF THEM DOW LITTLE-MISS-SUNSHINE-JAKE’S THROAT!  
-It had all started with the stupid fairy guy who came to Magnus’s loft about a month ago wanting some specific demon venom. He started coming back more often and one thing led to another and suddenly Magnus was providing venom for half Manhattan… But that wasn't really the problem, not at first.  
When Alec didn't look like he would continue and Izzy was about to say something a smoky voice filled the air and continued the story.  
-Thing is, when you sell the wrong thing to the wrong people the wrong thing happens, doesn't it Alec?  
-Indeed it does-Alec didn't even seem startled at the sudden appearance of the tall dark eyed dude behind him, who by the way, was smoking cigarette. Could that be "Mauro"? Izzy wondered.  
-Our dear warlock had no idea of what was going on, but his handsome boyfriend isn't just all looks, there's some brain too.  
-You bett...-Alec murmured darkly  
-He noticed how the demon activity started to emigrate  
-What do you mean, "emigrate"?  
-I noticed-this time her brother answered- how demons started to be less frequent in Brooklyn and more frequent up in Queens. But when I went to queens a couple days later, there wasn't a single demon to see. However, I had heard of them being there. Finally I found one, you wanna know what it did? It run away, so I followed it. It lead me to some kind of demon club. When I went in  
-When you did what?!  
-Angel! Izzy, I know it was stupid...  
-It was idiotic! You went int there by yourself! You crazy or what?  
-Just shut up and listen! You are the one who wants to know not us, we were there, we know what happened, you don't.  
-Excuse me? Why the hall are you talking to me like this? I'm your sister!  
-Fuck Iz! I don't want to talk about this!-and so he stormed out the room and Isabelle Lightwood was left behind with cigarette smoke and 2 guys she had never met before.


	15. Chapter 15

Spill!-Izzy commanded. She didn’t give a damn about who these guys were but on of the was gonna tell her what was going on.

The kid despaired back into the shadows, lying back on the couch and closing his eyes. The other dude looked at her, sighed, run a hand through his hair (which painfully reminded her of Alec, he did that when he was nervous, uncomfortable or well, just out of habit). He walked over to the window, hopped onto a nearby table.

-Lets play the question game, I ask and if you answer I will have to answer no matter what, but if you don’t I won’t be obliged to answer either and viceversa.-Was he serious?  
-Who are you?  
-Xavier Cruz I believe it is today. My turn, and since I answered you WILL answer this. What do you know about your mother’s time in The Circle?-What the hell?  
-She cheated on my dad with some chic who died during the Uprising, married my dad because Valentine wanted it. Planned Alec and me, max was a surprise forcing them to stay together. She was more of a sidekick and was sent here as an exile from Idris. Knows a shit load of runes, is a hell of a swords fighter, blades specially. She knows more than what she says and The Immortals scare the crap out of her. Now, dear stranger, what are The Immortals?  
-It’s quite an abstract concept, if you get what I mean. Some say it was an “experiment” gone wrong, other think of it as art, heck, some even consider it the devils personal army. I personally think they’re justa group of teens who where at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people in the wrong circumstances.  
-Right, and I think Van Gogh is a transexual jerk who cut off his leg for fame.  
-Ear actually  
-Alec!  
-Isabelle, Xavi-he nodded his head towards the sleeping kid with a questioning look in his eyes.  
-Out cold-Xavier stated  
-Who?  
-Jake obviously, what is going on in your head dear brother? IN the cab he looked like your very own bf-this earned a typical eye roll from her brother but nothing more as he turned towards the third party, Izzy felt strangely rejected. What the fuck was wrong here?  
-Victor in about 47.  
-Shit, I was hopping for Hardin.  
-And why is that, Mr Lightwood?  
-Stay from Hurts. Misha wants to try it out and Hardin knew that shit by heart, but I guess it won’t happen, will it now?  
-Unfortunately not, and how do you know so much about him? He only came around like once and you weren’t even there half of the time.  
-Like Murphy once said, files speak but streets scream.  
-Good old Murphy, what happened to him?  
-The weight I suppose.  
-HELLO? I?M STILL HERE AND I WOULD APRECIATE YOU NOTINCING THAT!  
Alec and Xavier sighed at the same time and turned to me.  
-She wants to know about Palmer’s business.  
-Oh, well fuck it. She should just know… - Her older sibling spoke, his voice tired and his hand moving over his eyes rubbing against his forehead.  
-What about Emir?  
-Fuck emir and his secrecy, this is my family and if I now the know. That’s the deal or I’m out.  
-Dale ahí!  
-Que le chinguen a ese cabrón, de todas formas they need me more that I need them.  
-Como tu quieras, pero yo me largo. Avísame cuando despierte la bella durmiente, quieres?  
-Hecho.  
They spoke so fast and between her brothers fluency and Xavier’s Spanish accent it was impossible to understand a single word. She knew Alec was good at languages, but this? The moment Cruz’s presence left the room her mouth flew open and this time, nobody would interrupt.  
-Spill! Now!  
-Jeez Iz!-Where had he picked that up?  
-I already told you about the dealing. Thing is we sold the wrong stuff to the wrong people and hell went lose. I noticed how demos started leaving and it didn’t tale long to fit the pieces together. Well, for me, but Magnus… - his gaze darkened and his voice dropped as he continued - I figure it out eventually, but he wouldn’t see it, wouldn’t believe me no matter how much evidence I provided…until it was too late…th…they got him a…and I…I just didn’t know what to do… God Izzy, why him? Why couldn’t it… have been me? - Tears slipped down his cheeks as he remembered something, but what?  
-What Alec, what happened to him?  
-Vespa happened. She got her hands on some kind of poison and things went sideways, so she ended killing herself instead of whoever she intended to kill. Problem was she didn’t die, she came came back, for revenge. For Magnus, my Magnus… - And right them, right there Izzy knew she had her brother back, maybe not completely but a small part of him had returned.


	16. Chapter 16

-It’s just…Magnus had no idea, no clue…  
-You mean he didn’t know what he was doing?-Alec shruged with defeat at her words and sank into a black armchair, rested his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. His shoulders where slumped, the instant his hair fell forward Isabelle notices a rune. This might not seem odd but this wasn’t one she had never seen before nor was it a mundane tattoo. It was a parfait rune.  
-He thought he was providing healing potions and shit, which I thought at first too.-Her brother looked dead serious now-but the fact that you call it healing potion doesn’t make it paracetamol. It is what it is, and it wasn’t paracetamol. And she knew that.  
-Who knew?  
-See, that’s where it gets tricky, I can’t tell you , because if I do I make you part of this and you are not. You can't be.  
-We took down Valentine and his demon army, we defeated Sebastian, we went to hell and came back, heck, Jace even died and then came cack, and Simon turned into a rat, too, if that counts. I don’t think there’s anything worse. Or anyone for that matter.  
-And she isn’t, not for you, not for Obama, not for the Clave. She doesn't want to burn down the world, nor does she want to rise hell. I have no idea what her plan is or what is supposed to come from this mess but right now she want Magnus and she ain’t getting that.  
-Then tell me, we’ll help you-She was getting frustrated-And what the hell is a Vespa?  
-Not what, who. She got herself killed and came back from the dead for revenge. She was too weak at the time to do much damage, but you must understand once you come back from the dead the doors are open. It’s like when you get on the Subway. The you open the doors and walk in, but you have no idea who is walking in behind you. Through the doors you opened. You can’t control that and poor Vespa had no idea what she was doing.  
-What happened?-Alec gave a short laugh and shook his head, after he didn’t say anything for a while and it became clear he considered the conversation over with, Izzy flipped out.  
-Damn it Alec! I want to help you, I want to protect you.-She could see him closing up, again.  
-And that's great. Your intentions are good, but then again, that’s all they are. Yours…—Izzy got the feeling he hd said this before, or someone had said it to him? He stood up, his shoulders rolled back, his chin went up, his eyes closed for about 10 seconds and when he opened them he was gone. Not physically, but emotionally he was 1000 miles away. It was like this movie called Super 8 when the alien opened its eyes at the end, only this was the other way round. Alec closed his eyes to her world, because in the end we don’t live in the same world. You can’t feel what someone else is going through, what they are thinking, feeling, why they do something. We will never fully understand others, just ourselves. In the end we share a planet, but not a world. And right now, she didn’t feel Alec’s world leave, but she felt Alec leave her planet.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment!!!


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